"A Sultan Looks West
By BERNHARD ZAND,
Der Spiegel
Published: December 13, 2004
This week, as EU heads of state meet to decide the fate of Turkey's candidacy for EU membership, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be preparing his own run for the Turkish presidency. But critics fear that Erdogan, a conservative Muslim, is moving to stamp out the country's secular policies.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is already a larger-than-life figure. But now, on the eve of two of the most defining moments in his life, he seems to be gaining in stature on a daily basis. At 6 feet 6 inches, Erdogan has always towered over his supporters and the members of his staff. And now, poised to achieve his greatest political triumph, it almost seems as though Recep Tayyip Erdogan were surrounded by dwarfs. His official name is 'Tayyip Abi.' And like an 'Abi' -- Turkish for 'big brother' -- Turkey's prime minister dominates his administration, his party and his country. A weak opposition leader has even referred to him as a Sultan. "
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