Is There a “Greater Turkey” On the Rise?

Erdogan’s criticism of the Treaty of Lausanne appears both in line with a presumed “neo-Ottoman” tilt of the ruling AKP and as a sign of the growing influence of Turkey’s old, ultra-nationalist base.

by Ryan Gingeras

Late in July, a sharp debate erupted over a rather innocuous statement published on the website of Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Its focus was the annual commemoration acknowledging the Treaty of Lausanne, the 1923 accord establishing Turkey’s independence and sovereignty after the First World War. The wording of the message w…