July 11th, 2008 by Amanda

A Christian Science Monitor commentary suggests that” if Turkey’s leaders fail not only to respect the democracy they have but to improve it through eventual constitutional and judicial reform, they will simply drag their country down in a war of wills.” As the Secularists continue to fear the Islamists’ encroachment upon the separation of mosque and state, they are clinging to their power in the courts to place a ban on the religiously oriented AKP. The article posits that “the onus is on the governing party to take every possible step to reassure Turks that it indeed supports a secular, rule-based democracy.”

Foreign Policy Magazine documents Turkey’s Year of Turbulence in pictures, including its rocky relationship with neighboring Iraq.  Additionally, The New York Times reports on Prime Minister Recap Erdogan’s recent visit to the nation - the first by a Turkish leader in 18 years.

Posted in Judiciary, Political Parties, Secularism, Turkey |