The Turkey Analyst

Vol. 1 no. 13, 12 September 2008

ANALYSIS

In the Shadow of Kenan Evren
Halil Magnus Karaveli
On September 12, 1980, the Turkish military staged a coup that was to have wide-ranging consequences. That date is indeed the defining point of recent Turkish history. The repercussions of the 1980 coup still reverberate. The dynamics of Turkish politics - the moderate Islamists assumption of power, the depreciation of secularism by the liberal intelligentsia and its alignment with Islamic conservatism - can only be properly grasped against the backdrop of what the generals accomplished during their dictatorship in the 1980s.

NEWS DIGEST: THE FORTNIGHT IN REVIEW

I. What the Columnists Say
The inauguration of General Ilker Basbug as new Chief of staff has been widely commented in the Turkish media. The columnists in general hail Basbug as a moderate and as an intellectual with a keen sense of the challenges and demands of globalization. They note that he restated the military’s commitment to Turkey’s alliance with the U.S, and that the abstained from displaying any dogmatic attitude about the nation-state and secularism in his inauguration speech.

II. Domestic Politics
Summary: The past month's politics were dominated by the constitutional court's decision not to close down the AKP, but to issue a warning and to cut its state funding. Click here for full digest.

III. Foreign Relations
Summary: The past month's foreign relations were overshadowed by the war in neighboring Georgia, as well as the controversial visit of Iranian president Ahmadinejad to Turkey. Click here for full digest.

The Turkey Analyst
The Turkey Analyst is a publication of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Joint Center, designed to bring authoritative analysis and news on the rapidly developing domestic and foreign policy issues in Turkey. It is published weekly, and includes a topical analysis, as well as translations and summaries of selected Turkish news reports. It is edited and compiled under the supervision of Svante E. Cornell, Halil M. Karaveli, and M. K. Kaya.

The Turkey Analyst occasionally publishes guest analyses, which are normally solicited. Submissions are nevertheless welcome.

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The Joint Center
The Joint Center, created in 2005, is the product of the merger of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, and the Silk Road Studies Program, at the Stockholm-based Institute for Security and Development Policy.

The Turkey Initiative
The Joint Center launched a Turkey Initiative in 2006 in order to improve understand of Turkish domestic and foreign affairs in Europe and the United States.

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