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Turkey's Leader Loves Calling People 'Nazis'

A collection of Recep Tayyip Erdogan's limited range of insults
Source: Reuters

Recep Tayyip Erdogan was at one time known for articulating a foreign policy of “zero problems with our neighbors.” If that always seemed perhaps overly ambitious given the unpredictability of international affairs, some of Turkey’s recent problems originate with Erdogan’s own mouth. These days, Turkey’s diplomacy is perhaps better known for how faithfully its leader’s rhetoric conforms to Godwin’s law.

Over the past few years, the Turkish president has gotten into highly personal foreign-policy disputes with his foes and friends alike, describing the events that followed the toppling of the Morsi regime in Egypt as “;” likening Israel’s operations in Gaza to Hitler’s “barbarism;” the U.S. of supporting terrorists; and, most

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