Turkey, Iran, and the West
August 19th, 2008 by Adam
Soner Cagaptay in the Los Angeles Times is troubled by the implications of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s recent trip to Turkey. Cagaptay says in the past a visit by an anti-Western autocrat, especially one so diametrically opposed to Turkey’s secular principles, would have been extremely controversial. However, according to Cagaptay, the expanding ties between Ankara and Tehran reflect a weakening devotion to secularism and democracy in Turkey and Cagaptay warns that, “Years from now, Ahmadinejad’s visit to Istanbul will be remembered as the tipping point at which the West lost Turkey, and Turkey lost its soul.”
Posted in Iran, Secularism, Turkey | 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 »
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 »
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 »
The New Turkish Political Order
July 22nd, 2008 by Adam
Looking at the Turkish Constitutional Court case to ban the AKP and the current prosecution of those who plotted a coup against the government, Soli Ozel of the Daily Star says their is reason to be optimistic about the future of Turkish politics. The attempt to ban the AKP is an attempt by the feeble opposition to maintain their relevance. Ozel says the case against the coup plotters illustrates that the Western-oriented, liberal faction of the military may be supplanting the secular authoritarianism of the old order. However, Ozel warns, “In short, the days of military tutelage over Turkey’s politics are arguably over. Whether or not Turkey’s civilian politicians, particularly the AKP (or its successor party in the undesirable event of closure), will rise to the challenge of firmly establishing the rule of law and engage Turkey determinedly in a secular, liberal, democratic path remains to be seen.”
Posted in Reform, Secularism, Turkey | Comment »
Where is America on Turkish Democracy?
July 18th, 2008 by Amanda
According to opinion by Aliza Marcus and Andrew Apostolou in the Washington Post, “Turkey’s political crisis has taken a turn for the worse” as the nation’s Constitutional Court is likely to ban Prime Minister Erdogan and his AKP party from government participation. They consider this a drastic measure that is certain to spark “political instability in an important U.S. ally.”
Despite the country’s importance for America in the region at large, “the U.S. government has been curiously quiet about this assault on Turkey’s democracy”. Marcus and Apostolou affirm that “if the United States is serious about promoting democracy in Muslim countries, it should stand up for Turkey’s democratically elected government.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Islam and Democracy, Secularism, Turkey, US foreign policy | 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 »
In a Turkish War of Wills
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 | Comment »
POMED Notes: Religious Freedom in Turkey
July 9th, 2008 by Sarah
The Congressional Human Rights Caucus Task Force on International Religious Freedom invited Ziya Meral, a Turkish researcher, and Patricia Carley, Policy Director for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to lead a staff briefing on the current political and social scene within Turkey and the status of religious freedom in the country. Both speakers agreed that banning the AKP party could be disastrous for democracy in Turkey. All comments were made off the record.
For POMED’s full notes, click here.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Event Notes, Freedom, Human Rights, Political Islam, Political Parties, Secularism, Turkey | Comment »
The E.U. On Turkey
July 8th, 2008 by Sarah
As Turkey’s highest court weighs whether to ban the AKP party as unconstitutional, debates resume on whether Turkey is fit to become a member of the European Union. Some, including E.U. Commissioner Olli Rehn suggest that banning the AKP “would not be in line with European norms,” while others criticize Rehn for overstepping his powers, and caution that the E.U. should not be so actively involved with Turkey’s internal affairs.
Posted in EU, Judiciary, Political Islam, Political Parties, Secularism, Turkey | Comment »
Turkish Constitutional Court Considers AKP Ban
July 2nd, 2008 by Adam
Yesterday, Turkey’s constitutional court heard arguments to ban Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) for violating the secular tenets of the national constitution. Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya, chief prosecutor, said, “The secular Republic is facing an unprecedented danger because the counter-revolutionary forces are no longer in the margins, but in government.” The AKP will present its case on Thursday, and a decision is expected sometime in August.
Adding to tensions in Turkey, is the detainment of 21 people, including two prominent generals, with plotting a coup against the government. The timing of the detainments has called into question whether the coup suspicions were legitimate or were an attempt by the AKP to marginalize opponents. The military claimed the raids were legally valid and the investigation is widening.
Posted in Islam and Democracy, Secularism, Turkey | Comment »
Could the AKP Survive Ex Post Facto?
June 27th, 2008 by Amanda
At Informed Comment, Juan Cole posts for Howard Eissenstat on the political backsliding of Turkish democracy and the seeming inevitability of the AKPs dissolvement. Eissenstat argues that because the banning of parties by the judiciary is historically not uncommon, groups like the AKP have only emerged more resilient and better organized, and more able to challenge the secularists. While acknowledging the AKP’s strengths, particularly with its pro-Western EU message, Eissenstat points out that “the AKP’s hand is much weaker than it imagines.”
Nonetheless, he believes that if the party is taken down, the religious base who support it will remain and continue to seek out fair representation and protection of civil rights. He posits that “if liberalization and parliamentary democracy cannot deliver on basic issues, Turkey’s devout, like its military, may opt for a harder path.”
Posted in Islam and Democracy, Political Parties, Secularism, Turkey | Comment »
Middle East Progress: A Spotlight on Turkey
June 17th, 2008 by Sarah
Middle East Progress focuses on the Turkey’s impending constitutional crisis.
Ian Lesser warns that the likely court decision in Turkey may have dire consequences. “Turkey’s E.U. candidacy may be irreparably damaged, nationalist tendencies reinforced, and relations with the United States, already troubled, could be further compromised.”
The Economist calls the situation “a tragedy in the making,” and suggests that “the fallout at home would be serious, even if the AKP were reconstituted in a different form.” The article looks to Turkey’s teetering economy and unrest among Kurds that could spill into northern Iraq.
Pierre Atlas can see how Turkey’s likely court ruling may preserve Turkey’s secularism, but finds it hard to see how it preserves its democracy. He offers hope by suggesting that “this crisis can be overcome in a way that could strengthen the country’s democracy—if cooler heads prevail, and if the right signals are sent from Washington and the EU.”
Mark Almond warns that “neglecting Turkey is not only foolish, it is dangerous.” The war in Iraq “de-stabilized Turkey’s Western orientation more than the US cares to admit…and if the EU spurns them while speeding up entry for weaker candidates, Turkey may come to feel sufficiently strong and embittered to strike out on a new geo-political course.”
Yigal Schleifer discusses Turkey’s emerging role as a key regional mediator in the Mid East, while the Middle East Progress elaborates on the principles underlying Turkey’s constitution.
Posted in Iraq, PKK, Political Islam, Secularism, Turkey, US foreign policy | Comment »
Turkish Democracy In Trouble
June 13th, 2008 by Amanda
The Economist reports on the disastrous effects to Turkey’s democracy if the judiciary bans the ruling AKP, which it dangerously close to achieving. The publication also writes that “a constitutional crisis in Turkey would have grave international repercussions” and that “the threat of radical Islam in Turkey may have increased thanks to the secularists’ attack on the AKP.”
For an interesting perspective on the US-Turkish relationship, view this presentation by Henri J. Barkey of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Posted in Islam and Democracy, Political Islam, Secularism, Turkey, US foreign policy | Comment »
Maturing Muslim Democracy or Islamism in Disguise?
June 6th, 2008 by Amanda
Democracy Digest examines the historical and current states of political Islam in Turkey as the AKP has gained significant power in recent years. While some view the party as full supporters of a modern, liberal democracy, others such as Soner Cagaptay see their political actions as threats to Turkish secularism.”
The piece quotes Olivier Roy who believes that if the AKP is banned by the judiciary, “the perceived sabotage of moderate Muslim democrats will play into the hands of extremist forces” that will that “will have repercussions well beyond Turkey’s borders.”
Posted in Political Islam, Political Parties, Secularism, Turkey | Comment »
Headscarves and Lawsuits
May 15th, 2008 by Amanda
Spencer Boyer at The Root insists that “Turkey is vital to our national and international security interests,” and suggests that when the courts agreed to hear a case to ban ruling AK Party , it “set in motion a dangerous chain of events that could undo years of political and economic progress in Turkey. “
Boyer believes Turkey is “serving as a literal and figurative link between East and West. ” If the AKP is banned from participating in the political process, he argues that the nation will lose its “credibility” in the Middle East, therefore “hindering its political capital,” which will “in turn, will make Turkey a less effective security partner for the United States. “
The lawsuit comes on the heals of the recent push for the AKP to end the ban on headscarves at public universities. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy provides analysis on the EU view on the constitutional amendments passed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party.
The Middle East Institute recently released an interesting policy brief on “The Turkish Business Climate,” by Robert Loony. The analysis highlights the current climate “in the face of political, social, and economic trends in the country.”
Posted in Islam and Democracy, Pakistan, Political Islam, Secularism, US foreign policy, Uncategorized | Comment »
Tackling Turkey’s Battle to Preserve Secularism
May 2nd, 2008 by Sharlina
A Financial Times editorial urges Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to put his “solid, popular and democratic platform for change” to good use and completely overhaul Article 301, which criminalizes any insults to “Turkishness.”
Meanwhile, an editorial in The Washington Post argues that “the administration ought to make it plain that banning the AKP would cause serious damage to U.S.-Turkish relations. The United States has a vital interest in the success of Turkish democracy — and of the moderate Islamic party that now leads it.”
Posted in Secularism, Turkey, US foreign policy | Comment »
