The Turkey Analyst

Vol. 3 no. 20, 22 November 2010

ANALYSIS

Turkey at Lisbon: the Missile Defense Compromise
Richard Weitz
The reaffirmation of Turkey’s continued active membership in NATO should reassure those who have been worried that the ruling Justice and development party (AKP) is abandoning Turkey’s westward strategic ties and embracing an eastern orientation. Nonetheless, an evolution of Turkey’s strategic identity cannot be ruled out since the current Turkish government has been abandoning many other long-standing foreign policy tenets.

The Prospect of Reformed Kemalists and Kurds Joining Hands Could Challenge the AKP's Hold on Power
M. K. Kaya and Halil M. Karaveli
The dominance of the Justice and development party (AKP) and the prospect of a perpetuation of the party’s rule for another term are creating a momentum for alternatives that hold the promise of rearranging the Turkish political landscape. The recent suggestion that the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) form an electoral alliance may not be as far-fetched as it appears. Such an alliance would enable the opposition to seriously challenge the AKP.

What the Columnists Say
The outcome of the NATO summit in Lisbon has been generally hailed by commentators in the Turkish press as a reaffirmation of Turkey’s adherence to the Western alliance, and of the country’s Western, strategic identity. However, those who are critical of the ruling AKP point out that the foreign policy of the government is inconsistent, as Turkey simultaneously holds that Iran does not constitute any threat and nevertheless signs on to a missile defense system that is precisely designed to ward off an Iranian threat. The other prominent topic in the recent Turkish debate has been the suddenly raised specter of a possible electoral alliance between the Kemalist CHP and the Kurdish BDP. Although most commentators are inclined to deem such an alliance unlikely, the possibility is nonetheless being seriously considered. It seems certain that the question of how the AKP is going to be challenged in the elections that are to be held next year is destined to feature prominently in the Turkish debate.

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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 welcomes article submissions.

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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