SETA’s Duran: Erdogan’s media arm to spread extremism and campaign against opponents

Aya Ezz

Burhanettin Duran, head of the Turkish Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), is considered one of the most prominent media arms that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has relied on to promote and spread extremism in the Middle East. He has also launched smear campaigns against the Egyptian government and contributed to consolidating the relationship between the Turkish government, the Brotherhood in Tunisia, and armed militias in Libya in cooperation with the Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Fayez al-Sarraj.

Duran graduated from the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Boğaziçi University in 1993 and then completed his master’s and doctoral studies in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Bilkent University between 1993 and 2001. He worked at several universities until he became an assistant professor in 2006 and a general professor 2013, and he currently works as a lecturer in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Ibn Haldun University.

The academic began working under Erdogan and for his favor ever since the latter became president in 2014. He has since promoted all Erdogan’s political positions, deliberately justifying every position or decision taken by the president that does not appeal to the Turkish people, according to the Turkish newspaper Zaman.

According to the newspaper, Duran has used his position at SETA and as an international politician and media figure to promote Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in multiple countries, and he has organized many seminars and meetings between Brotherhood members who fled to Turkey and members of the group’s branches in various Arab countries, especially in Tunisia and Libya.

Duran has also carried out several media campaigns to distort the image of the Turkish opposition, using his position to serve this purpose, according to Zaman.