The Turkey Analyst

Vol. 4 no. 10, 16 May 2011

ANALYSIS

Is the AKP that "Vanquished" the Military Caught in the Trap of Militarism?
Halil M. Karaveli
There is a grim irony to the fact that while the AKP’s 2007 victory represented a defeat for the military, victory four years later requires that the ideology – Turkish nationalism – that upholds militarism not be challenged.  The AKP’s appeasement of Turkish nationalism lays bare the limits of how far Turkey’s democratization can be extended. Meanwhile, the army’s unprovoked offensive against Kurdish guerillas in the southeast of the country reveals how the manipulation of the Kurdish issue serves as a lever for perpetuating the power of the military.

Turkey's Economy: A Trump Card for the AKP in the June Elections
Peter Laurens
Less than a month from now, Turkish citizens will go to the polls to cast their votes in the Republic’s seventeenth general election.  Economic problems are often the catalyst for political change worldwide and in Turkey this is no exception, but in the country at present there is precious little bad economic news for opposition parties to exploit in attempting to weaken the ruling party’s chances at victory.


What the Columnists Say
The escalation of the Kurdish conflict is the major preoccupation of the political commentators in Turkey. There is widespread apprehension that the situation is on the verge of getting out of hand, in the wake of the offensive that has been launched by the army against the PKK guerillas in the southeast and after subsequent PKK attacks against the police. Many commentators wonder why the army offensive is taking place right now and several of them posit that the intention is to influence the outcome of the June 12 elections. It is generally recognized that the way the Kurdish issue is handled will determine Turkey’s future.

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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.

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