ISTANBUL—After seeing off his biggest election challenge, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is turning his attention to fixing Turkey’s place on the map as an aspiring global power.
Erdogan has repeatedly raised memories of Turkey’s Ottoman past in recent years, including during the campaign for Sunday’s presidential vote. As one of the world’s most prominent Islamist leaders, he has competed with Saudi Arabia and Iran for sway over the worldwide Muslim community. He has also worked to extend Turkey’s political influence across the Middle East and into Central Asia, built up its weapons industry and played a key role in the crisis surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the wars in Syria, Iraq and Libya.