Abstract
This article examines how conspiracy narratives and anti-Western rhetoric function as interconnected mechanisms of enemy construction in Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s populist discourse. It argues that Erdoğan’s rhetoric operates through a dual logic that combines abstract conspiratorial threats with historically grounded civilizational antagonisms, enabling the simultaneous production of diffuse fears and recognizable enemies. This discursive flexibility allows political adversaries to be recalibrated across domestic crises, diplomatic confrontation, and moments of electoral vulnerability, thereby contributing to the reframing of political competition in increasingly existential terms between the nation and its perceived adversaries. The findings suggest that these repertoires are associated with intensified polarization and wider discursive resonance across diverse constituencies, while also indicating patterns of affective forms of political attachment and a discursive weakening of the normative appeal of liberal-democratic principles. Situating the Turkish case within comparative research on populism and democratic erosion, the article highlights how fear, historical grievance, and adaptable enemy construction are central features of contemporary populist discourse and are frequently discussed in the literature in relation to processes of democratic backsliding.
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APA 7th edition
In-text citation: (Demir, 2026)
Reference: Demir, V. (2026). Constructing enemies, consolidating rule: Conspiracy narratives and anti-western rhetoric in Erdoğan’s populist discourse.
Journal of Law, Governance and Management, 1(1), Article 1.
https://doi.org/10.20897/jlgm/18944
AMA 10th edition
In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Demir V. Constructing enemies, consolidating rule: Conspiracy narratives and anti-western rhetoric in Erdoğan’s populist discourse.
Journal of Law, Governance and Management. 2026;1(1), 1.
https://doi.org/10.20897/jlgm/18944
Chicago
In-text citation: (Demir, 2026)
Reference: Demir, Vedat. "Constructing enemies, consolidating rule: Conspiracy narratives and anti-western rhetoric in Erdoğan’s populist discourse".
Journal of Law, Governance and Management 2026 1 no. 1 (2026): 1.
https://doi.org/10.20897/jlgm/18944
Harvard
In-text citation: (Demir, 2026)
Reference: Demir, V. (2026). Constructing enemies, consolidating rule: Conspiracy narratives and anti-western rhetoric in Erdoğan’s populist discourse.
Journal of Law, Governance and Management, 1(1), 1.
https://doi.org/10.20897/jlgm/18944
MLA
In-text citation: (Demir, 2026)
Reference: Demir, Vedat "Constructing enemies, consolidating rule: Conspiracy narratives and anti-western rhetoric in Erdoğan’s populist discourse".
Journal of Law, Governance and Management, vol. 1, no. 1, 2026, 1.
https://doi.org/10.20897/jlgm/18944
Vancouver
In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Demir V. Constructing enemies, consolidating rule: Conspiracy narratives and anti-western rhetoric in Erdoğan’s populist discourse. Journal of Law, Governance and Management. 2026;1(1):1.
https://doi.org/10.20897/jlgm/18944