July 17th, 2008 by Sarah

Bitter Lemons hosts a debate on Turkey’s political future. 

Soli Ozel examines the highly-explosive AKP and Ergenekon cases and argues that“the old authoritarian republican order and mindset are incapable of rejuvenation.” However, Ozel also suggests that the AKP “lacks the imagination and the commitment needed to forge a new consensus [to] propel Turkey forward in a liberal-democratic direction.”

Ersin Kalaycioglu describes Turkey’s divided political backdrop as a “kulturkampf of secularists” versus a “kulturkampf of traditional religious conservatives.” Ultimately, Kalaycioglu argues that the conflict undermines the legitimacy of Turkey’s government, makes democratization more difficult, and turns the rule of law into merely a tool in a power struggle.

Yet Fadi Hakura seems optimistic, arguing that “Islamic and secular values are apparently converging among the Turkish people.” This, combined with plummeting popular support for all major political parties and the “unprecedented silence of the military,” leads Hakura to believe that “Turkey could be on the cusp of a novel style of politics.”

Posted in Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Judiciary, Political Islam, Political Parties, Turkey |