POMED Notes: Implications of Turkey’s Constitutional Court Decision
August 7th, 2008 by Sarah
Yesterday, the Brookings Institution invited Cagri Erhan, Ibrahim Kalin, and Murat Yetkin to discuss the Turkish court’s ruling and its implications for Turkey’s relations with the United States and Europe. Cagri Erhan is Vice President of the Center for Eurasian Strategic Studies, Ibrahim Kalin is the Founding Director of the Foundation for Political, Economic, and Social Research, and Murat Yetkin is a columnist for Radikal, a Turkish publication. Brookings Visiting Fellow and former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Mark Parris moderated the event.
All of the speakers saw the court’s decision as “good step forward for democracy.”
For POMED’s full notes, click here.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Event Notes, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Political Islam, Political Parties, Turkey | Comment »
Recommendations Regarding Islamists
August 7th, 2008 by Sarah
Robert Satloff at Middle East Strategy at Harvard introduces several recommendations made by the late Peter Rodman to policymakers regarding Islamist political groups. Rodman had argued that merely because a group is elected through democratic processes, does not mean that it is democratic; they must also agree to certain liberal principles including ”political pluralism, limitations on government power, guarantees of individual and minority rights, the possibility of alternating parties in office.” Rodman also argued that the best way to encourage moderates is to “demonstrate by our firm resistance that radical policies are counterproductive.” In regard to U.S.-friendly autocrats, Rodman warned “it is not our job to accelerate the delegitimization of friendly governments that seem not to meet our standards, only to have them succeeded by something infinitely worse, as happened in Iran.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Political Islam, Political Parties, US foreign policy | Comment »
Mending Fences in Turkey
August 7th, 2008 by Adam
An editorial in the Christian Science Monitor suggests now that the AKP has escaped being banned it must reach out to secularists in order to stabilize Turkey’s polarized political system. The editorial says that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan must follow the court’s warning to not push his party’s religious agenda to tamp down tensions between Islamic and secular forces. However, the most important initiative the AKP could undertake would be to refocus on EU accession talks, which would be a powerful reforming tool.
Posted in Political Islam, Reform, Secularism, Turkey | Comment »
2008: Handling Turkey’s Crisis And Our Addiction to Middle East Oil
August 5th, 2008 by Matt
A couple unrelated posts to pass along from the folks over at The Washington Note:
Last Thursday, one day after Turkey’s Constitutional Court narrowly decided against throwing out the moderate Islamic ruling AKP party, Ben Katcher criticized the State Department’s neutral policy position on the issue, saying it “undercut the administration’s policy of promoting democracy in the Middle East”. Katcher also posed an important question yet to be directly addressed by either candidate–whether the U.S. should seek to isolate, marginalize, or engage moderate Islamist parties like AKP as part of our efforts to promote democracy in the region.
Today, Steve Clemons criticizes both McCain and Obama for proposing “short-term, knee-jerk responses” to the current energy policy dilemma. Clemons implores both candidates to “work harder at thinking through what the characteristics of a new equilibrium in the Middle East and globally might look like”, so they are as prepared as possible to create a more stable, durable situation upon taking office.
Posted in Election 08, Islam and Democracy, Oil, Political Islam, Secularism, Turkey, US foreign policy, US politics | Comment »
Perhaps Not A Victory For Democracy After All
August 5th, 2008 by Sarah
Spencer Boyer and Brian Katulis at the Center for American Progress laud the Turkish Constitutional Court’s recent decision, upholding the constitutionality of the AKP party. “Turkey is as important to the United States as Germany was during the Cold War, serving as a literal and figurative bridge between East and West.” They argue that “Muslim-majority countries all over the world have been watching the complicated interplay between Islam and secular democracy in Turkey, and many have viewed the AKP as an encouraging model for the future.”
However, Zeyno Baran at the Hudson Institute isn’t convinced that the decision is an outright victory for democracy. According to Baran, the AKP party has created a “climate of fear” by conducting government surveillance on its critics, and there is speculation that the Ergenekon case is mere political retribution. Ultimately, Baran warns that if the Ergenekon case turns out to be “mostly a show trial, then those concerned for Turkish democracy and rule of law need to reconsider where Turkey is headed.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Political Islam, Political Parties, Turkey | Comment »
A Victory for Democracy
August 4th, 2008 by Sarah
An editorial in The International Herald Tribune applauds the Turkish Court’s decision to not ban the AKP party. “The court ruling is a victory for Turkey, for democracy and for the politics of moderation in the volatile Near and Middle East. That makes it a victory for the United States as well.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Political Islam, Political Parties, Secularism, Turkey, US foreign policy | Comment »
AKP Triumph
July 31st, 2008 by Sarah
An editorial in The Times Online (UK) lauds the Turkish Court’s decision to not ban the AKP party as“showing moderate Islamists in other countries that Islam is compatible with democracy, and that they should and can work within a secular legal framework to achieve their spiritual ends.”
Meanwhile, an editorial in The Wall Street Journal Europe argues that the “Court’s ruling is an opportunity for E.U. leaders to re-engage their large Muslim neighbor” and cites the prospect of E.U. membership as having “done more than anything else to solve some of Turkey’s fundamental problems.”
Posted in Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Political Islam, Political Parties, Secularism, Turkey | Comment »
Response to Wittes
July 31st, 2008 by Sarah
Steven Cook at the Council on Foreign Relations responds to Tamara Cofman Wittes’ article for the Journal of Democracy. Wittes puts forth some criteria to distinguish those Islamist groups that have a genuine commitment to democracy and those who don’t. Cook, however, is skeptical and argues that perhaps Islamist participation in elections “is the result of strategic calculation,” as the “most efficient means of accumulating political power as opposed to say, fomenting revolution or embracing democracy.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Elections, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Political Islam, US foreign policy | Comment »
Turkish Court Decision Upholds AKP Party
July 30th, 2008 by Sarah
Turkey’s highest court has just announced that it will not ban the AKP party as unconstitutional on charges of undermining the country’s secular system. However, Hasim Kilic, the head of the constitutional court, says that the party would instead be deprived of half of its funding from the state treasury and says that “the decision was a warning, a serious warning [to the party].”
Likewise, Wolfgango Piccoli, an analyst with the Eurasia Group, notes “It is certainly a strong warning. The AK Party was not just cut off from funding but also the actual voting of 6 to 5 is a signal. Has it let the AK Party off the hook? That depends on whether they have learned a lesson from what has happened and whether they will be able to show that they are committed to secularism.”
Mithat Sancar, a law professor of Ankara University, suggests that “Cutting the party’s treasury funds means that the evidence for their anti-secular activity was there but not substantial enough to impose a ban. Therefore they warned the party to be careful in their actions to avoid closure in the future.”
Although other parties have been banned in the past by the Turkish Court, Radio Netherlands reports that the case against the AK party was unusual because it marked “the first time it concerned a ruling party with an extensive power base.”
In regard to the decision’s economic consequences, Market Watch reports that after the decision came down, “Turkey’s stocks and currency soared…the decision was among the most market-friendly possible outcomes since it reduces political uncertainty, which had escalated sharply in Turkey in recent months.”
Meanwhile,Win Thin, a senior currency strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. remarks that “it’s ironic that the mildly Islamic AKP has been the best thing to happen for the economy and so investors can look forward to a continuation of orthodox policies.”
Others, such as Turkey’s Labor Minister Faruk Celik, said ruling not to ban the ruling AKP Party “was a victory for Turkish democracy.”
E.U. Parliament member, Joost Lagendijk signaled his relief, noting that “closing down AKP on the basis of this indictment clearly goes against European rules on closing down political parties and would have been an anti-democratic decision,” while a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana expressed “hope that the decision by the court will contribute to restore political stability.”
Posted in Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Political Islam, Political Parties, Secularism, Turkey | Comment »
The Battle Over Turkey’s Political Future
July 30th, 2008 by Adam
Writing in the Daily Star, Fadi Hakura sees the current crisis in Turkey surrounding the AKP as representing a groundbreaking ideological shift in Turkey’s political system. He sees the emergence of a secularized Islam and the electorate’s desire for a focus on economic issues rather than narrow religious ones as evidence of the formation of a new political order. Hakura’s best evidence of this political change and the shift away from the nation’s past ideological battles is the military’s silence. Their inaction is due to the fact that, “…Turkey is fast becoming a diverse society, as opposed to a once-monolithic bloc of secularists and Islamists, the military is adapting to altering political, economic and societal conditions.”
However, an editorial in Financial Times sees the Turkish crisis as dire and a setback to the progress the country has made. The editorial says, “To argue the country can muddle through a deposition of its government because the army has closed four Islamist parties in the past misunderstands the scale of the crisis. The battle between secularists and conservatives has reached a critical point.”
Posted in Political Islam, Reform, Secularism, Turkey | Comment »
Islamist Parties and Democracy
July 29th, 2008 by Sarah
The Journal of Democracy, of the National Endowment for Democracy, has released this quarter’s issue focusing on “Islamist Parties and Democracy.” Contributors include Tamara Cofman Wittes, Husain Haqqani, and Hillel Fradkin among others.
Wittes provides a more nuanced understanding of Islamist groups, as the “usual division of Islamists into ‘moderate’ and ‘extremist’ categories is less helpful than a threefold classification that suggests a distinct policy approach toward each group.”
Husain Haqqani and Hillel Fradkin explore the paradox of Islamists parties and their roots. “Do such parties thus represent a decisive break with the Islamist past that may portend revisions in other areas of Islamist doctrine as well?”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Political Islam, Political Parties, US foreign policy | Comment »
Turkey’s Court Meets Today
July 28th, 2008 by Sarah
Turkey’s highest court meets today to decide whether the AKP party should be banned as unconstitutional. BBC News reports that “if the party is closed down or large numbers of its senior members are banned from politics, it will deepen the political fault lines between AKP supporters and secularists,” and “could lead to a period of political instability.” In addition, BBC News notes that “the case has already caused uncertainty in Turkey’s stock market,” and that “a ban could harm Ankara’s long-running bid to join the European Union.”
Posted in EU, Islam and Democracy, Political Islam, Political Parties, Turkey | Comment »
Morocco’s Islamists and the Problem of Participation
July 28th, 2008 by Adam
The Carnegie Endowment for Peace has an intriguing report by Amr Hamzawy about Morocco’s Islamist, Party for Justice and Development (PJD). Hamzawy sees that the PJD, though entrenched in the nation’s political system, is challenged by various constraints, including the system’s semi-authoritarian nature, the power of the King, and competition to win the Islamist vote. This puts the PJD in a perpetually unstable posture as it must play by the rules to remain politically acceptable to the powers that be, while it cannot be so moderate that it alienates its religiously oriented constituency. Hamzawy mentions that while some of these factors are unique to Morocco, it does highlight the dilemmas faced by Islamist parties seeking peaceful political participation.
Posted in Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Morocco, Political Islam, Political Parties, Reform | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Turkey’s Political Crisis: Implications for the Middle East”
July 25th, 2008 by Adam
Yesterday, the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) held a discussion regarding the current political crisis in Turkey and the potential consequences for Turkey, the broader Middle East, U.S. relations with the region, and prospects for democracy. Panelists included Abdullah Akyuz, President of TUSIAD, the United States office of Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association, Bulent Aliriza, Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and Director of CSIS’ Turkey Project, and Omer Taspinar, Professor of National Security Strategy at the U.S. National War College and Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution where he directs Brookings’ Turkey Project. The discussion was moderated by Stephen McInerney, POMED’s Director of Advocacy.
For POMED’s full notes on the discussion, click here.
Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Event Notes, Events, Events, Political Islam, Turkey | Comment »
Inside Iran and Out
July 25th, 2008 by Amanda
In an intriguing article by The Economist, questions are posed as to who really has the controls of government in Iran - Is it Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Despite Ahmadinejad’s exposure, “Mr. Khamenei … is plainly the most powerful man in the Islamic Republic; no big decision can be taken without his consent.” Even though the presidential elections are soon approaching and Ahmadinejad’s leadership role may be tenuous, the outcome may be superfluous when it comes to certain factors. Regardless of who the next president will be, “a big shift in Iran’s domestic and foreign policy seems unlikely while the 69-year-old Mr Khamenei remains the supreme leader.”
Time magazine examines the possibility of unilateral strikes on Iran by Israel, particularly after the US has changed its tone. Time posits that Bush’s shift in rhetoric “makes it more likely that Israel will follow Washington’s lead rather than striking out on its own.”
Posted in Iran, Israel, Political Islam, US foreign policy | Comment »
Morocco’s Islamist Party Selects Moderate Leader
July 23rd, 2008 by Sarah
Morocco’s Islamist Justice and Development Party has selected Abdelilah Benkiran, a leading moderate figure, as the group’s new leader replacing Saad Eddine Othmani.
Ahmad Hamouch at IslamOnline.net notes Benkiran’s moderate position and points to his focus “on the everyday concerns rather than on religious agenda,” which Benkiran describes as “inspired by our Islamic background but a religious background linked to the citizen’s needs…The citizens suffer from poverty, unemployment, a housing crisis and problems in education and healthcare.”
Democracy Digest notes, however, that the PJD faces criticism from “radical Islamists opposed to its accommodation with the state and from secular democrats who believe that, despite its incremental approach, the party retains a commitment to ultimately implementing sharia law.”
Posted in Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Morocco, Political Islam, Political Parties | Comment »
POMED Notes: Islamist Parties and Democracy
July 22nd, 2008 by Sarah
Yesterday, the International Forum for Democratic Studies and the National Endowment for Democracy invited Hillel Fradkin, Amr Hamzawy, Laith Kubba, and Tamara Cofman Wittes to assess the rise of Islamist parties and its implications for democracy in the region. All of the speakers agreed with Wittes’ statement that Islamist parties “are not evolving in a vacuum. The U.S. is part of this, and rather than just sitting here, we must take responsibility for what happens next.”
Marc Plattner of the International Forum for Democratic Studies and Vice President at the National Endowment for Democracy moderated the event.
For POMED’s full notes, click here.
Posted in Event Notes, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Political Islam, Political Parties, US foreign policy | Comment »
The Future of Turkey’s Political Landscape
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 | Comment »
Turkey’s Political Crisis
July 16th, 2008 by Adam
In their RAND report entitled “The Rise of Political Islam in Turkey” Angel Rabasa and F. Stephen Larrabee argue that Turkey’s political crisis is a struggle between the secular elite and previously marginalized social groups. Turkey’s staunch secularists fear that the AKP’s broad political support will shift the balance of power towards civilian government and gradually lead to their political marginalization.
On a related note, Helle Dale in the Washington Times writes that the crisis threatens any chance of Turkish EU membership. Dale says the EU’s failure to engage Turkey and cement its ties to Europe can be blamed for contributing to the crisis.
Posted in EU, Political Islam, Secularism, Turkey | 1 Comment »
POMED Notes: The Crisis in Turkey
July 15th, 2008 by Adam
On Tuesday, the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) held a discussion regarding the current political crisis in Turkey. The discussion focused on the latest developments in the Constitutional Court case to ban the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), and the potential consequences this crisis could have on Turkey’s domestic politics, economic development, and international standing. The two featured speakers were Bulent Aliriza, Director and Senior Associate of CSIS’ Turkey Project and Mark Parris, former ambassador to Turkey (1997-2000) and Visiting Fellow on Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution.
For POMED’s complete notes on the discussion, click here.
Posted in Event Notes, Political Islam, Turkey | Comment »
