"The Incredible Turk" (1958)

Turkey has for decades been one of the most important allies of the Western powers. The rise of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan--a charismatic nationalist and polarizing figure who survived a coup attempt in July 2016--has stirred up consternation among the establishment about his loyalty to the geopolitical status quo.  

This episode revisits the Western media's love affair with a Turkish strongman who didn't offend the fickle tastes of the Anglo-American foreign policy elite. In 1958, CBS produced a made-for-TV documentary "The Incredible Turk" about Mustafa Kemal Ataturk--  narrated by none other than Walter Cronkite. I have included the entire documentary (lightly edited for time) and a short preamble from contemporary commentators who long for the return of our man in Ankara.

 

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Podcast created by Sina Rahmani (@urorientalist)