Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will not rest until the Internet is fully under government control in Turkey and social media under his feet. He's now signaling his intent to use the strong support his Justice and Development Party (AKP) received in the March 30 local elections to this end. His methods, however, are bound to be interpreted in the West as steps that further erode democracy and the rule of law in Turkey.
Not bothering to dwell on the irony it entails, his government is also now using alleged insults against Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish republic revered by secularists and opponents of the AKP, to keep the government’s recent YouTube ban in place, despite a court ruling ordering its lifting.