State, Religion, Identity, and Politics: Turkey Updated
Vol. 7 No. 1 - Spring 2008

State, Religion, Identity and Politics: Turkey Updated, Spring 2008Thursday, June 5, 2008
As this issue of TPQ went to press, Turkey was going through a period of acute strain. Terrorist shootings at the gate of the United States Consulate in Isatnbul which ended in six fatalaties, the arrests of retired military personel on suspicion of...

• Nigâr Göksel

Problems of Perception and Vision: Turkey and the U.S., Spring 2008Thursday, June 5, 2008
That the United States “has sought to use Turkey as a model of a moderate Islamic state for the Middle East” is a conviction which resonates widely in Turkey with far reaching implications, for not only Turkey-U.S. relations but also...

• David L. Arnett

Why Turkey is Bogged Down?, Spring 2008Thursday, June 5, 2008
Assessing the Political Party Law, Electoral Law and Governmental Procurement Law, the author argues that the system and the politicians are creating what keeps the country from further progress. Pointing out contradictions between the Constitution,...

• Cem Toker

Driving Towards the EU Using Its Rear-View Mirror: Turkey's ''Foreigner'' Policy, Spring 2008Thursday, June 5, 2008
Turkey’s pursuit of EU membership has been heartily embraced by the government of Prime Minister Erdoğan but the principles of an open society, which are prerequisites for actual progress on this issue, have hardly been implemented in a way...

• Robert Johnson

From Hardware to Software, Charity to Strategy: A Roadmap for Progressive Philanthropy in Turkey, Spring 2008Thursday, June 5, 2008
The author provides an overview of developments in the landscape, laws, and perception of civil society organizations in Turkey and the interplay with philanthropy. She points out that Turkish foundations have not yet made the shift from supporting...

• Filiz Bikmen

Conservatism in Turkey, Spring 2008Thursday, June 5, 2008
Based on data collected in research, the author analyzes the trends of conservatism in Turkey observing that conservatism is higher among rural and provincial residents, among people with lower education and income, and of more rightwing...

• Hakan Yilmaz

The Long Path Ahead ın Turkey's Integration with the World, Spring 2008Thursday, June 5, 2008
There is a populist government in Turkey today. The party in power has been trying to represent divergent interests and ideologies at once, trying to cover the entire political spectrum. Though it may look like a pluralistic approach has been...

• Haluk Onen

Turkey's Liberal Islam and How It Came to be, Spring 2008Thursday, June 5, 2008
For many decades, Arabs and other Muslim nations saw Turkey as a lost cause, a country which abandoned its own faith and civilization. That why, despite the customary rhetoric, Turkey never served as an example of the compatibility of Islam and...

• Mustafa Akyol

Turkey Under Challange: Conflicting Ideas and Forces, Spring 2008Thursday, June 5, 2008
The author argues that in spite of its pro-European makeup, the AKP stands within the tradition of political Islam. The party supports Turkey’s integration with the EU, foreign investments and privatization, but at the same time it undermines...

• W.J. Korab-Karpowicz

Was There, Is There, Will Be There A Kurdish Plan?, Spring 2008Thursday, June 5, 2008
The article explores whether the current Turkish government has a comprehensive plan towards improving the situation in Southeast Anatolia and granting cultural and political rights to Kurds. Since the landslide victory of the AKP in the July 2007...

• Ekrem Eddy Guzeldere

The Turkey Welfare Regime: An Example of the Southern European Model?, Spring 2008Thursday, June 5, 2008
This article focuses on the division of social responsibilities among the state, market, and family in Turkey. This issue has nowadays been high on the agenda in Turkey due to recent social security reforms. This article puts the debates into...

• Daniel Grutjen

Rising Nationalism and the EU Accession Process, Spring 2008Thursday, June 5, 2008
Nationalist feeling has been rising and support for Turkish membership of the European Union has been falling as conditions that led to a decline in levels of nationalism at the end of the 1990s have changed. The rocky path of the accession process...

• Ruairi Patterson