Turkey's Erdogan plots his next power grab

RECEP TAYYIP Erdogan is a political survivor.

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For more than 20 years, first as Turkey's Prime Minister and then as its President, he has weaved his way through the kinds of crises that end the careers of even the most resourceful and resilient of leaders: runaway inflation, a spiraling currency, the arrival of millions of refugees, corruption accusations, mass protests, international condemnation and pressure, and a 2016 coup attempt.

Erdogan has always been a shrewd populist who understands the importance of cultivating both the right friends and the right enemies.

There are few stronger examples on the world stage of a leader who sees no permanent allies or rivals, only the neverchanging need to win one more election. And by dismantling many of Turkey's independent state institutions-the military, the courts, and the media-he's amassed major power even at times his popularity was very much in question.