An examination of 'New Turkey' through the life of the country's domineering leader President Erdogan's resiliency as Turkey's leader makes for an extraordinary political study of longevity, charisma and strategic decision-making. Uncovering the person behind the persona, M. Hakan Yavuz draws on 250 first-hand interviews to untangle the web of literary, religious and biographical influences that shaped Erdogan's personality, ideology and world view. In understanding the inner life, continuous self-reinvention and professional struggles of Erdogan, Yavuz is able to provide an invaluable insight into the complex record of policies - in both domestic and international arenas - that have marked his governing tenure. With chapters covering the Gezi park protests, the clash between the AKP and Gülen movement, the Kurdish question and the country's projected image as a major international power, this book explores how and why Erdogan has reconstituted a 'New Turkey' - a hybrid political entity, neither East nor West, democratic nor dictatorial, Islamic nor secular. M. Hakan Yavuz is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Utah.