The Turkey Analyst

Vol. 4 no. 7, 4 April 2011

ANALYSIS

Will Turkey’s Next Constitution Be a Societal Covenant Imbued with Respect for Differences?
Halil M. Karaveli
Agreeing upon the rules for how they are going to live together, with mutual respect for differences, is the fundamental challenge that faces the citizens of Turkey. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has pledged that the authoritarian constitution will be replaced with a new, “civilian” constitution following the general election in June. Yet a truly “civilian” constitution must be a societal covenant, of which Turkey has had no prior experience. The question is if the people of Turkey will be able to surprise each other with restraint and generosity.

The Fading Masquerade: Ergenekon and the Politics of Justice In Turkey
Gareth H. Jenkins
On the afternoon of March 30, 2011, Zekeriya Öz, the chief prosecutor in the controversial Ergenekon investigation, was abruptly removed from the case by the Turkish Justice Ministry. The decision came after a month in which allegations of links to Ergenekon had once again been used to try to silence critics of the exiled Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen. On the morning of March 30, 2011, police acting on Öz’s orders had raided the homes and offices of seven theologians opposed to Gülen. On March 3, Öz had triggered domestic and international outrage by ordering the arrest of eleven journalists and academics who had been critical of Gülen and subsequently attempting to erase all copies of an unpublished book about him.


What the Columnists Say
The commentators in the Turkish press have been trying to explain the unexpected dismissal of Zekeriya Öz, the prosecutor of the controversial Ergenekon investigation. There is general agreement among pro-government commentators that Öz had overstepped the boundaries of legality and that his recent measures – notably the arrests of two journalists, and the confiscation and subsequent destruction of an unpublished book about the movement of Fethullah Gülen – had become a liability.  Nonetheless, Öz is hailed as prosecutor who has carried out a “historic mission” and his “courageous” pursuit of the investigation is claimed to have furthered the cause of democratization. The question of a new constitution has also been widely commented, following the publication of a blueprint for a liberal constitution that was commissioned by the Association of Turkish businessmen and industrialists (TÜSİAD). The proposal was strongly criticized by Turkish nationalists, but met with the approval of pro-government commentators.

RECENT ISSUES: CLICK HERE FOR ARCHIVES

NEW Silk Road Paper published

Reconciling Statism with Freedom: Turkey's Kurdish Opening
by Halil M. Karaveli, October 2010.



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 by Halil M. Karaveli.

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.

To Subscribe:
To subscribe to the Turkey Analyst email announcements, please write to info@silkroadstudies.org with an email containing "subscribe Turkey Analyst" in the subject line.