Turkey’s prime minister has led his country for nearly 18  years. Analysts credit Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the country’s dramatic  economic growth during his first decade in office. But they also blame Erdogan for rolling back democratic  freedoms. Last month, he threatened to expel ambassadors from 10 countries, including the United States, for taking a strong stance on a  human rights case. As alliances shift in both the Middle East and Asia, Turkey is making its own geopolitical calculations.