ABSTRACT
The conclusion will summarize broader lessons of the AKP’s story and its historical development. There are three broader lessons. The first one is for political scientists: to ignore real-life contestations one the meaning of the word democracy in the name scientific robustness is perilous and counterproductive. The second one is for the students of the contemporary democracy: the roots of the crisis of democracy lies in its own problems rather than an assault led by the West’s geopolitical rivals and populist ideologies. The third one is for the observers of Turkish politics: Turkey is facing an uncertain future, and its problems are unlikely to go away in a single electoral circle, but it is also full of possibility.
