CIAO DATE: 02/2009
Volume: 11, Issue: 2
April - June 2009
Turkey's Local Elections of 2009: Winners and Losers (PDF)
Ali Çarkoğlu
This article presents a descriptive account of the March 2009 local elections in Turkey and offers a nation-wide and regional evaluation of trends in Turkish elections since 2004. The results of these analyses suggest that, although the AKP's rise in support has stalled, it remains the dominant political party in Turkish politics. However, a regionally differentiated analysis shows that significant differences can be observed between the more developed western coastal regions, where the opposition parties received a lot of support, and the eastern and southeastern provinces, where parties that represent the ethnic Kurdish minority have seen rising support. In between these two areas, the AKP continues to dominate in the more conservative provinces, followed by the MHP. The article emphasizes the worsening economic conditions as the main factor that shaped these developments, and underlines the geographically advantageous positioning of the MHP which may mount a credible opposition to the AKP in the future.
Towards a Turkish-Armenian Rapprochement?
Aybars Görgülü
Insight Turkey, Vol. 11, No.2, 2009, pp. 19-29
Given its close political, economic, social and cultural ties to the region, stability, prosperity and a cooperative atmosphere in the South Caucasus are of great significance to Turkey. From this perspective, the normalization of Turkey's relations with Armenia is one of the priorities of the AKP government. So a new era is about to begin in Turkish-Armenian relations, which up until now have been burdened by historical legacies, inertia and a lack of trust. The process of rapprochement launched with the restoration of the Akhtamar Church in 2002 is likely to soon result in the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries; however, the process is complicated, and it is still uncertain when the official ties will be definitively established. That is why a detailed look at the 18 years of deadlock between Turkey and Armenia would be helpful in order to better understand the changing dynamics of the problem.
Turkish-Israeli Relations after Davos: A View from Turkey
Gökhan Bacık
Insight Turkey, Vol. 11, No.2, 2009, pp. 31-41
Despite the negative atmosphere it created for both sides, the Davos case should be seen as an opportunity to revisit the various aspects of Turkish-Israeli relations. Turkish-Israeli rapprochement is important for the regional order. However, both sides should realize that like all bilateral relations the Turkish-Israeli one is subject to social, political and psychological parameters. There is no ideal, correct model that is free of social effects. The fluctuations of a bilateral contact cannot be understood through simplistic analyses that prioritize personalities or other trivial issues. Every single event, including that at Davos, should be seen as one function of complex social phenomena. Even the most unexpected events in politics are the products of several major social machineries. This article will offer an alternative analysis of the Turkish-Israeli relationship in the light of a number of social structures.
Altercating Interests and Orientations between Israel and Turkey: A View from Israel
Ofra Bengio
Insight Turkey, Vol. 11, No.2, 2009, pp. 43-55
This essay analyzes the relationship between Turkey and Israel against the background of the AKP ascent to power in Turkey in 2002 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It argues that notwithstanding the sea changes that occurred in the region following the invasion, as well as the far-reaching changes in Turkey's foreign policy, both states still have vested interests in maintaining their close relationship, even at times of crisis. One of the most important explanations for their relations' longevity is that the two states have no serious problems on the bilateral level, while their strategic, economic and societal common interests have been strong enough to weather crises. The paper also explores the implications for the future of the Turkish-Israeli relationship of Turkey's policy during Israel's operations against Hamas in Gaza.
Between Crises and Cooperation: The Future of Turkish-Israeli Relations
İlker Aytürk
Insight Turkey, Vol. 11, No.2, 2009, pp. 43-55
This essay analyzes the relationship between Turkey and Israel against the background of the AKP ascent to power in Turkey in 2002 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It argues that notwithstanding the sea changes that occurred in the region following the invasion, as well as the far-reaching changes in Turkey's foreign policy, both states still have vested interests in maintaining their close relationship, even at times of crisis. One of the most important explanations for their relations' longevity is that the two states have no serious problems on the bilateral level, while their strategic, economic and societal common interests have been strong enough to weather crises. The paper also explores the implications for the future of the Turkish-Israeli relationship of Turkey's policy during Israel's operations against Hamas in Gaza.
Sarkozy's Policy in the Middle-East: A Break with the Past?
Tsilla Hershco
Insight Turkey, Vol. 11, No.2, 2009, pp. 75-91
Nicolas Sarkozy's election as France's president in May 2007 has marked a rhetorical change in the foreign policy of Paris and has made the French presidency much more dynamic. Sarkozy has led many international initiatives and increased France's presence in international and Middle Eastern arenas. Despite all these developments, however, France's Middle-Eastern policy has been characterized by a large degree of continuity since Sarkozy has embraced traditional French perceptions and agenda concerning the Middle East. Thus, he has continued France's so-called ‘Arab policy', and mainly pursued past policies on key regional issues such as the Israeli-Arab conflict. Consequently, Sarkozy's declarations concerning the changing nature of French policy do not seem fully compatible with reality. So far there has also been a gap between France's optimistic assessment of the results of its Middle Eastern policy versus the less impressive outcomes on the ground.
Muslim Democrats in Turkey and Egypt: Participatory Politics as a Catalyst
İhsan Yılmaz
Insight Turkey, Vol. 11, No.2, 2009, pp. 93-112
Partial and limited opening of authoritarian political systems in Turkey and Egypt created new democratic opportunities for Islamists to participate in public life. It also fostered democratic learning by permitting Islamists to compete for power and popular legitimacy. In the process of democratic opening, Islamists have had to address and represent the interests of a group much larger than their own ideological constituency. They have also had to endure repression and party closures in a semi-democratic political framework. However, the democratic learning process coupled with the establishment's constraints has paved the way for the transformation of Islamists to Muslim democrats. While the process in Turkey is almost complete, in Egypt there are still heated debates on the transformation among the Islamists. This study highlights the importance of the democratic opportunities given to Turkish Islamists and argues that if given similar opportunities, Egyptian Islamism will also transform to a post-Islamist phase.
The Emergence and Rise of Conservative Elite in Turkey
Kamil Yılmaz
Insight Turkey, Vol. 11, No.2, 2009, pp. 113-136
The purpose of this essay is to examine the emergence and rise of a new "social group," or what I call a "conservative elite" in Turkey. By using in a historical perspective the theory of the circulation of elites as a theoretical construct, envisaged separately by both Mosca and Pareto and further developed by Kolabinska, I focus particularly on the underpinning factors that have brought about the changes which have paved the way for the new elite, namely: i) the negative effects of ‘assertive secularism'; and ii) the positive effects of Turkey's democratization process, especially after the 1980s. This essay argues that Turkey's new conservative elite has demonstrated the feasibility of a successful synthesis of religious and social conservatism with modernity. Its overarching message is that increased social inclusion helps reduce violent radicalization of religious sentiments. The integration of the new conservative elite into society heralds positive signs not only for Turkey but also for its immediate neighborhood and beyond.
Michel McGaha, Autobiographies of Orhan Pamuk: The Writer in His Novels
Hugh Pope
Utah: University of Utah Press, 2008, 224 pp., ISBN 0874809304.
Hugh Pope
Insight Turkey, Vol. 11, No.2, 2009, p. 137
Talat S. Halman and Jayne L. Warner (eds.), Ibrahim the Mad and Other Plays: An Anthology of Modern Turkish Drama
Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2008, 473 pp., ISBN 10: 0815698977.
Michael McGaha,
Insight Turkey, Vol. 11, No.2, 2009, p. 139
Arnold Reisman, Turkey's Modernization: Refugees from Nazism and Atatürk's Vision
İdris Demir
Washington, D.C.: New Academia Publishing, 2006, 572 pp., ISBN 0-9777908-8-6.
İdris Demir
Insight Turkey, Vol. 11, No.2, 2009, p. 141
Montserrat Guibernau, The Identity of Nations
Daniel Faas
Cambridge: Polity Press, 2007, 235 pp., ISBN 13: 978-07456-2662-8.
Daniel Faas
Insight Turkey, Vol. 11, No.2, 2009, p. 144
Roger Trigg, Religion in Public Life: Must Faith Be Privatized?
Brendan Sweetman
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007, 262 pp., ISBN 978-0-19-95437-0, US$29.95 (paper).
Brendan Sweetman
Insight Turkey, Vol. 11, No.2, 2009, p. 147
Ulrich Beck and Edgar Grande, Cosmopolitan Europe
Bo Stråth
Cambridge: Polity Press, 2007, 311 pp., ISBN 9780745635637.
Bo Stråth
Insight Turkey, Vol. 11, No.2, 2009, p. 149
Kenneth J. Hagan and Ian J. Bickerton, Unintended Consequences: The United States at War
Bruce Kuklick
London: Reaktion Books Ltd., 2007, 223 pp., ISBN 9781861894090.
Bruce Kuklick
Insight Turkey, Vol. 11, No.2, 2009, p. 151