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CIAO DATE: 07/04
Summer 2002 (Volume 1, Number 2)
The Social Liberal Synthesis by Kemal Dervis
This article derived from the keynote address delivered at the GencNet-Youth Conference on May 2002 in Istanbul argues that the social economic model of the 21st century is a synthesis of liberal economy and socialism, or what the author calls the social liberal synthesis. The article underlines Turkey's positioning in social liberal synthesis in our globalizing world with particular reference to the recent economic crises.
11 September and Human Rights by Riza Türmen
The attacks of September 11 changed many things. The fight against terrorism became a political priority both at governmental and intergovernmental levels. Many givens of the post cold war era, such as priority of human rights, were reconsidered and a new balance was sought between security and rights. A liberal democracy must face the difficult question of what rights are enjoyed by those who seek to destroy a democratic system. This article outlines how the European Court of Human Rights approaches this question by presenting an overview of critical court decisions. The Court accepts that terrorism is contrary to human rights and democracy. It also accepts that States have the right to fight against terrorism in order to protect democracy. However, the fight against terrorism should remain within the confines of the rule of Law. The Court is against undermining or even destroying democracy on the ground of defending it.
A Regional OSC/OECD for the 'Arc of Crisis'? by El Hassan bin Talal
Preventing violent conflict at an early stage has never been a priority for the international community, it is now almost a truism that to prevent a conflict is far wiser and less costly in human and material terms than to try to control it or, when that fails, to deal with the consequences.) The region that I call the 'Arc of Crisis' is plagued with a score of raging and potential disputes belying a broad range of causes of conflict. At present, the Region does not have any mechanism for conflict avoidance, prevention or resolution. The international fight against terrorism should be inducted within a comprehensive vision of the Region. We should not only move against terrorism, but also work for a new international humanitarian order. The international community should place fighting terrorism as its top priority, and should realise that it can only be tackled by a coordinated world effort which supports regional efforts, the 'Arc of Crisis' being the most obvious and urgent of these.
Globalisation, European Integration and Turkey by E. Fuat Keyman
This article underlines the linkage between globalisation and economic life in Turkey based on the outcomes of the author. Turkish politics within the context of globalisation is analyzed by focusing on the effective economic actors, namely those of the "Association of Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen" (TUSIAD), the "Association of Independent Industrialists and Businessmen" (MUSIAD) and the city or region-based "Associations of Industrialists and Businessmen" (SIADs). By exploring and documenting the ways in which these actors perceive globalisation and articulate it into their discourses and strategies, it is demonstrated that they operate as strong supporters for Turkey's integration to the European Union, as civil society organisations calling for a more democratic Turkey, and as cultural actors demanding recognition and civil rights/freedoms, and globalisation functions as an "internal element" of their alternative visions of Turkey.
Does Poverty Cause Militant Islam ? by Daniel Pipes
What causes Muslims to turn to militant Islam? A survey finds that militant Islam (or Islamism) is not a response to poverty or impoverishment as widely argued. The factors that cause Islamism to decline or flourish appear to have more to do with issues of identity than with economics. On the level of individuals, conventional wisdom points to Islamism attracting the poor, the alienated, and the marginal - but research finds precisely the opposite to be true. To the extent that economic factors explain who becomes Islamist, they tend to be fairly well off. Islamists who make the ultimate sacrifice and give up their lives also fit this pattern of financial ease and advanced education. A disproportionate number of terrorists and suicide bombers have higher education, often in engineering and the sciences.
TA Legal Survey Of Some Of The Aegean Issues Of Dispute And Prospects For A Non-Judicial Multidisciplinary Solution by David S. Saltzman
The Maritime Boundaries and the Breadth of Territorial Waters in the Aegean as well as the Aegean Continental Shelf disputes concern the Aegean Seas two coastal states: Turkey and Greece. Turkey perceives each as a genuine issue requiring examination and resolution. Greece's position has been that the only legitimate dispute that needs to be settled between Greece and Turkey in the Aegean is the delimitation of the Aegean continental shelf. This paper demonstrates that by virtue of the existence of legitimate arguments in Turkey's favor regarding each issue, all of the issues ought to be settled. A favored method of settlement would be bilateral negotiations resulting in a durable, nonjudical, multidisciplinary solution.
Economic Transformation in South Eastern Europe:
Lessons from Central Europe and a strategy for success in the globalised economy by Tamás Dávid
Central Europe's success in the transition from a command to a market economy has relied on the region's flexible economic structure and high levels of technology-intensive FDI. South-Eastern Europe has lagged behind as a result of dragging its feet over implementing transition reforms and because - partly as a consequence of the former - few foreign investors have arrived. Political factors have been the main impediment, manifested in corruption, state capture, rigidity, or war. However, the region could overcome these political obstacles by implementing a series of policies with low political costs. This paper recommends such a portfolio of policies: creating an investor-friendly tax environment and exchange rate regime; strategically targeting particular foreign investors; implementing targeted reforms, such as introducing efficiency-improving measures in the public services; investing in human capital; and integrating with Europe, not only at the diplomatic level but also by reducing trade barriers and creating a matching infrastructure.
The Turkish Experience with Regulatory Reform and the Role of Independent Regulatory Authorities by Izak Atiyas
In recent years, Turkey has introduced fundamental changes into the nature and scope of government intervention in several important sectors. In telecommunications, steps are being taken in electricity and gas to end state monopolies and introduce competition, to allow private enterprises entry, and vertically separate and eventually privatize some of the key public assets. Such steps are accompanied by a major redistribution of discretionary authority to design and enforce rules and regulations away from ministries towards newly established independent regulatory authorities (IRAs). This paper reviews some of the salient features of IRAs and issues they raise in the Turkish context.
The Customs Union As The Catalyst Of Globalisation by Sinan Ulgen
Besides the political motive, the completion of the Customs Union stems from a contractual obligation and from a number of economic expectations that can be listed in terms of ex ante order of priority as an increase in foreign direct investments, an improvement in global competitiveness, the consolidation of the European market and the modernisation of the country's economic legislation. 6 years down the road, Turkey's most important expectations remain seemingly unfulfilled whereas some degree of success can be attached to "less important" expectations. Yet the impact of this trade integration with Europe on Turkey's economic legislation proved to be by far the most important element of the Customs Union deal. Furthermore this importance will not wane in the future but on the contrary increase on account of the incorporation of the services sector in the Customs Union. The Customs Union's role and influence on the Turkish economy runs much deeper than what trade statistics may suggest. The Customs Union seems indeed to play a significant role in shaping globalisation's impact on Turkey. On the one hand, by opening up the sectors of the economy to international competition, it increased the exposure of the country to the currents of globalisation but at the same by contributing to the establishment of a proper institutional setting, it improved the capacity of the country to deal with the ills of globalisation and to optimize the benefits of globalisation.
Public Opinion
Turkish Public Opinion Survey byStrateji Mori