Turkey has jailed the main political challenger to the country’s authoritarian President. The collapse of the Assad regime in Syria, stresses in the Europe-US transatlantic alliance, and the situation in Ukraine have opened a geopolitical window for Erdogan to tighten his grip over power.

After his biggest political rival was jailed, the president is banking on his NATO allies needing Turkey more than they need a fight over its democracy.

Analysts say a convergence of international factors gave Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the opportunity to try to neutralize Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the main threat to him in elections due to be held in 2028.

Turkey tops the list of countries the European Commission is hoping to collaborate with more closely on defence. This month, the Commission opened the door for some non-EU countries – including Turkey, the UK, and Norway – to benefit from its new €150 billion defence programme, Security Action for Europe (SAFE).

The Turkish president has chosen to bury the legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the secular founder of the Republic of Turkey.

Some have thought Mr Erdogan an aspiring dictator ever since the 1990s, when as an Islamist he campaigned against Turkey’s secularism. He once called democracy a tram you get off when you reach your stop.