The Turkey Analyst

Vol. 1 no. 16, 24 October 2008

ANALYSIS

Turkish Constitutional Court Sets Framework for Politics
Svante E. Cornell
Turkey’s Constitutional Court has published its detailed reasoning in two landmark cases, in which it rejected the AKP government’s lifting of the headscarf ban in universities, and found the ruling party guilty of having undermined secularism, but stopped short of closing down the party. While the two cases have been dismissed as political, a closer reading suggests a much more complex reality. The court offers a sophisticated legal and philosophical reasoning, seeking to balance competing principles. This could suggest that the Turkish Constitutional Court is seriously beginning to step into a role as the constitutional provider of check and balances.

Ergenekon Trial: Breaking with the Deep State Past, or are the Tables Simply Turned?
Halil Magnus Karaveli
The trial against the alleged “Ergenekon” conspiracy would seem to suggest that Turkey is about to settle accounts with its “deep state”, thus auguring a more liberal, more transparent state. However, the judicial procedure in the case so far has been marred by deficiencies and outright violations of human rights that undermine its legality. The Ergenekon trial is yet another chapter in what is a political battle.

NEWS DIGEST: THE FORTNIGHT IN REVIEW

I. What the Columnists Say
The beginning of the so called Ergenekon trial against alleged coup plotters was widely commented in the Turkish media. While commentators who support the AKP government hailed the trial as a settling of accounts with the so called “deep state”, those who tend to be critical of the government called the legality of the Ergenekon case into question.

II. Domestic News Digest
Summary: The parliament extended the army's mandate to intervene in Iraq, while the court decisions on the headscarf and AKP dominated news. Click here for full digest.

III. Foreign News Digest
Summary: Foreign relations in the PKK issue, notably involving Iraq, as well as Turkey's election to the UN Security Council dominated foreign news. 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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