Nice and very informative post.
About Erdogan, my concerns domestically are principally the following: too much corruption and NO appetite for dissent (not good for any democracy, and by God Turkey IS a democracy) and courting the Kurds too much. Economic policies, well, you know that pretty much any and every party has been corrupt to some extent in Turkey. And probably any and every party would have inflated the construction bubble. It's a good thing that at least Erdogan provides stability, and invests in some form of manufacturing, be it automobile plants or military products. Manufacturing is highly important. And he also pursues close trading ties with many countries. All of which are to be applauded.
About the Alevis, I believe the Dersim massacre was more about the Kurds (Zazalar) as opposed to being Alevi, though it might have had a part in it. As far as I know, Aleviler are DIE HARD Turks, and are Turks first and foremost, while perhaps Sunnis also believe in Ummah or being part of a greater muslim good. Sure they are also very pro-Turk, but Aleviler have no such possible wish. I just wish Erdogan would tone it down with the anti-Alevi remarks in election seasons (I have some Alevi ancestry as well). It is a known fact that Sunni islam is the mainstream, and also sadly sometimes, violet toward minorities. Even though this is very very unusual in Turkey, if you keep talking about Alevis badly as if they were a 'foreign' group or bad group, you might seem some violence towards them. Escpecially with sectarianism being the flavour du jour in the middle east right now.
The Kurds question is extremely complex, as we don't live in the 70's anymore, and Kurds ARE a force and population to be reckoned with. With our trade ties with Europe and our membership of NATO, we just can't do stuff and expect those countries to ignore it. There is no appetite in Turkey for another prolongued war that can't reasonably be won. Even though you can destroy militantism, or even flatten Erbil, you can't destroy their wish to become a nation. I believe there will be a Kurdistan, and sadly, I believe they will take a piece of Turkey and even Iran. Though it's very sad and I wish it wouldn't happen (yanlis milleti geberttik), there is a very big reason this might happen. The US and the Ziocunts want it to happen. Smaller nations in the middle east and less powerful. But if we were to be honest and objective, let's say not think as Turks but as Brazilians, the post Ottoman borders are incredibly ignorant and have the natural pressure to be changed. And even though our countries can surpress that natural (race and sectarian) pressure to change the borders, we can't do d1ck with the US actively helping them. Turkish trade with the EU is a lot more than half or Turkey's total foreign trade. If the EU pressures Turkey economically, there isn't much we can do. So I see that as a foregone conclusion sadly, especially now that 2 dominoes have already fallen: Iraq and Syria. In the end though, it needn't be bad. Especially if Israel and the US don't arm Kurdistan to 'keep us in check', there needn't be hostilities, and all of Kurdistan's neighbors could trade with it, even with open borders at a later stage.
Presidential sytem, I don't know much about it and haven't read up on it. .Though what you say is logical, the hardcore factions are too small (hardcore secularists, hardcore nationalists (I call them racists) and the hardcore religious people)) can't govern alone. So the AKP seems the only one for now. I just hope Turkey can cat past this infantile stage of democracy quickly, and into that more European style of democracy, people choosing candidates and parties based on economic principles and foreign policy instead of nationalism and religion. But that takes time. Democracy wasn't bought at the bakkal by Holland either. I just hope Erdogan becomes a bit more consistent in his foreign policy, and hope he isn't led by ideas of grandeur or an Ottoman revival. We all know that's bs. Arabs wouldn't ever accept that either. There will be a balance in the middle east, not a top dog 'watching over others'.
Why don't you go and play 'Khilafah' with your buddies??
