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Renowned American analyst warns that Recep Tayyip Erdogan's model of cracking down on the opposition is spreading in the region and that Washington's silence is encouraging leaders with authoritarian tendencies... among them Edi Rama
American analyst Michael Rubin, an expert at the Middle East Forum and former Pentagon official, mentioned Albania during a testimony before the "Tom Lantos" Commission on Human Rights in the US Congress, where he spoke about the deterioration of democracy in Turkey and the influence that, according to him, the political model of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is having on other countries in the region.
In his testimony, Rubin argued that Erdogan has created a mechanism for eliminating political rivals through the justice system and that this practice is serving as an example for other leaders.
“ The fact that Erdogan managed to carry out three political beheadings of opponents creates a playbook that other leaders are now embracing. In Albania, Prime Minister Edi Rama now arrests political opponents, while Albanian courts argue that they stand above the Constitution when it comes to detention ,” Rubin told US lawmakers.
According to him, Washington's lack of response to such cases is setting a dangerous precedent.
“ Washington’s silence signals to would-be dictators that they can act on their ambitions. The lack of democratic accountability matters and, if left unaddressed, creates a death spiral for human rights ,” he said.
The comments on Albania were made as part of a broader analysis of the human rights situation in Turkey, which Rubin described as one of the most repressive periods in the country's modern history.
According to him, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has used the judicial system to neutralize his strongest political opponents, starting with pro-Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtas, then Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, and most recently Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel.
Rubin argued that the United States' weak responses to these cases have strengthened Erdogan's belief that he can act without consequences.
" Erdogan believes he can act with impunity in human rights violations, corruption, support for terrorism and consolidation of political control ," he said.
The American analyst also criticized the US administration and especially the US ambassador to Ankara, Tom Barrack, for what he described as an overly tolerant approach towards the Turkish president.
According to Rubin, the situation in Turkey is no longer just a domestic problem, but a challenge to regional stability, the West's strategic interests, and democracy itself in the region.
His testimony was given at the Tom Lantos Commission hearing on the topic: "Can Turkey Find Its Path to Freedom?", where political developments, human rights, and Turkey's democratic future were discussed. /Pamphlet
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