CIAO DATE: 06/07

Turkish Policy Quarterly

 

Winter 2006 / 2007 (Volume 5, Number 4)

 

• The German Conference On Islam
  Wolfgang Schäuble

  Islam is part of Germany and part of Europe, part of our present and part of our future. We wish to encourage the Muslims in Germany to develop their talents and to help us take our country forward. The time has come for the German Conference on Islam to mark the beginning of a new way of living together.

• Time For Independence
  Agim Çeku

  Kosovo is a unique case in international law, which steams from the circumstances created in 1999 by Milosevic's political war-mongering and from the status which Kosovo held in Yugoslavia before the Constitution was illegally changed in 1988. The process is internationally sponsored and administered by the UN. There is nothing radical in an independent Kosovo. At this point it is impossible for Belgrade to achieve sovereignty over Kosovo, and for this reason wasting political energy on this issue is counterproductive. Granting Kosovo independence now would endorse an important shift in international legal thinking which aims to establish a more balanced relationship between state sovereignty and human rights.

• The Heart Of The Matter: The Importance Of Emotion In Turkish-American Relations
  David L. Arnett

  Practically all of the conflicts between the United States and Turkey, both past and present, can be explained by American lack of sensitivity to Turkish emotional responses and Turkish overreaction to perceived American arrogance. There is a tendency by Turks to focus heavily on their own sense of outrage while downplaying the emotional effects of their own actions. Any discussion of emotion and modern Turkey must begin with the abortive Treaty of Sevres (1920) and the honored Treaty of Lausanne (1923), and American diplomats and political leaders must be thoroughly familiar with both in order to work successfully with Turkey. However, the understanding of the Treaty of Lausanne by the public at large in Turkey is deeply colored by emotion. Emotions arising from religious differences clearly need to be controlled, and religious labels are a poor substitute for an objective evaluation of national interests.

• Flags Against Fears And Uncertainties
  Cengiz Günay

  Turkish nationalism is an enduring theme in Turkish public and political life and it is the common denominator in the political spectrum. Many Turks feel insecure, due to American policies on the Middle East, Kurdish separatism, the clash among its own elites, and the negative wind blowing from Europe. The fear of uncertainties has fuelled a new nationalist fervour containing anti-American, anti-imperialist, and xenophobic feelings. The process of negotiations with the EU has not only unearthed historically rooted mutual preconceptions but it has also touched upon handed down and unquestioned Turkish narratives and reshuffled power balances within the political system.

• State-Dialogue In Italy And Germany For Promoting Integration of Muslims
  Hans-Christian Jasch

  Italy and Germany are following the example of other EU-countries and have started to establish a dialogue between the state and Muslim communities in order to promote integration. The objective of these initiatives is to develop joint and commonly owned solutions with representatives of Muslim communities, and to strengthen the moderate voices with a view to preventing radicalization. Due to divisions within and the heterogeneity of the Muslim minorities in both countries it has so far not been possible to establish single Muslim representations with genuinely representative organs. Therefore both initiatives in Italy and Germany followed a top-down approach with the Ministers of Interior carefully selecting the members of these Councils and thus establishing a forum of state-dialogue for the first time. The future will show whether this policy is successful.

• The Diversity Of Turkish Human Rights Ngos And The Influence Of The European Process
  Anne K. Duncker

  During the past two decades a diverse landscape of Turkish human rights NGOs has developed, representing all sorts of political and religious orientations. The comparison of Kemalist and Islamic NGOs in regard to freedom of religion and homosexuals' rights illustrates the divergence between the underlying human rights concepts. Referring to these differing concepts, the paper aims at explaining the criticism Turkish civil society actors voice regarding the European process, leading to the fundamental question of whether one set of rights can claim universal validity or whether human rights must be adjusted according to national, cultural, or religious prerequisites.

• Rising Political Islam: Is It A Matter Of Ideology Or Pragmatism?
  İrem Aşkar Karakır

  This essay focuses on the underlying reasons for Islamist groups becoming politically popular in the Middle East. The main objective is to explore whether Islamist movements in the Middle East, in general, have arisen due to common demand for a religious ideology or whether they developed as a response to failure of existing regimes to address a range of concrete problems. In this respect, this essay aims to demonstrate that Islam as a political ideology has become an instrument for the expression of popular political dissent against existing regimes. It is argued that the rise of political Islam in the Middle East is the consequence of a multi-dimensional crises experienced by the region including failed economic policies, widespread authoritarianism, increasing unemployment, corruption and rapid urbanization. A number of Islamist parties are examined with particular focus on Hamas as the main case.

• Conflicting Voices: A Study Of Youth Perspectives On Contemporary Turkish Politics
  Jinnyn D. Jacob

  Turkey is an important country in a state of political and social transition, with a very young population. The direction Turkey will take will be determined by Turkish youth. The following is an analysis of the political issues valued most by Turkish university students based on original field research. This paper will attempt to answer the following questions: What political issues are important to Turkish university students? What ideological conflicts divide Turkish youth, and what solutions do they offer to bridge these contradicting opinions?

• Turkey’s Accession To The EU: A Test Case For The Relevance Of Identity
  Güneş Becerik

  This article comments on the European integration process with a specific focus on the concept of identity. The processes of integration and enlargement are increasingly being shaped along the lines of culture and identity, and the definition and interpretation of European identity play a very important role in the future of the EU. The problematic accession process of Turkey to the EU is presented as a supporting argument indicating the relevance of identity.

• In Search Of Turkic Identity
  Odil Ruzaliev

  Today the Turkic world lacks an ideology and identity that could serve as a strong foundation if the political will to establish a unified entity were to come about. Turkic leaders should give serious thought to the development of such an ideology and identity. Over the past few decades Turkic societies have lived under widely different political systems. A strong ideology could bring together these disparate groups and foster the development of a Turkic identity. A strong sense of shared identity is necessary to build a future Turkic economic and/or political union. This paper offers a logic to go in this direction and recommendations to this end.