TurkeyTurkey

The Ottoman Empire in 1914

Abdul Hammid IIAbdul Hammid IIThe Last SultanThe Last Sultan

• 1842-1918• Ruled 1876-1909• Started out as a reformer, but grew more autocratic.

- Approved a Constitution in 1877, suspended it in 1878.

• Removed from power by the “Young Turks” in 1909.

The Young Turks Revolt: 1908

The Committee of Union and Progress

Mehmet Talaat

Grand Vizier,

1917-1918

Enver Pasha Minister of War

Ottoman Commander- in-Chief

The Young Turks Program

Pushed for reforms, basic democratic rights:

- freedom of speech.

- freedom of assembly.

- freedom of the press.

Problem of nationalism within heterogeneous empire.

World War I Alliances: 1914-1918

Europeans Carve

Up the

Ottoman Empire

After WWI

Mustafa Kamal Mustafa Kamal AtatAtatüürkrk

(1881-1938)• 1881-1938. Born in area now in Greece. Family was middle class; father was a timber merchant.• A military commander who distinguished himself during the WWI, waged a war revoke the terms of the Treaty of Sèvres which had left Greek and Russian forces in some areas of Anatolia and had provided for an independent Kurdish State. • By 1922, the occupying armies were repelled and the newly founded parliament formally abolished the Sultanate, ending 623 years of Ottoman rule. • The Treaty of Lausanne of 1923 led to the international recognition of the sovereignty of the newly formed "Republic of Turkey.“• Turkish parliament presented Mustafa Kemal with the honorific name "Atatürk" (Father of the Turks) in 1934.

Mustafa Kemal’s

Republican People’s Party Goals:

- Republicanism (National Assembly)

- Nationalism (“Turkification”)

- Populism (for the benefit of the people)

- Statism (state-controlled economy)

- Secularism (free from religious control)

- 1924: Abolished the caliphate.

Atatürk’s Reforms“Turkify” the Islamic faith

- Translate the Qur’an into Turkish

- Secular education

- Ministry of Religious Affairs abolished

- Sharia courts closed new secular courts

- Abolishment of pious and royal titles

Westernization

- Adoption of surnames, the International calendar,

time and measurements

- Forbade the wearing of the fez, veiling of women

- Western-style men’s suits

- Western style universities

Atatürk’s Reforms

3. Language Reform:

- Roman alphabet replaced the Arabic script.

- Literacy in new alphabet required for government positions.

4. State Socialism:

- State banks established to finance government-controlled businesses.

5.

AtatAtatüürk’s Legacyrk’s Legacy Military and Politics

• Military continues to support Ataturk’s nationalist, statist, secular program. The military has traditionally been viewed by the public as guarantor of economic and political stability and national security.• Military coups in 1960, 1971, 1980, 1997.

- That of 1960 led to the death of the Prime Minister (Menderes).- In 1980 there was political unrest due to economic problems, ineffective political parties. - In 1997 action was taken against Prime Minister Erbakan of the Welfare Party, which drew on the philosophy of the Muslim Brotherhood in its positions.

• Today there is an internal battle among Turkish Muslims between forces that want to be part of the Western world and those that want to return Turkey's political identity to be based primarily on Islamic solidarity. But it isn't Ottoman Islam that these Islamist Turks seek to revive. Their Islam is more in tune with the fanatically anti-Western principles of Saudi Wahhabi Islam.

Military Power Over Military Power Over Turkey’s Politics May Be Turkey’s Politics May Be

SlippingSlipping• July 2008, two retired generals and 84 other secular and

nationalist activists were arrested for an alleged plot to topple Turkey's Islamic-rooted government.

• Battered by allegations of corruption and scandal, the authority of the once-unchallenged military is being whittled away by an increasingly assertive and confident public. The critics are a diverse array of democracy advocates, head-scarf-wearing Muslim women, journalists and others who complain that the military's grip on power has largely benefited wealthy and secular elites.

• Most remarkably, senior officers, once immune from any kind of prosecution, have been arrested in an alleged conspiracy to oust Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party from power.

• The officers are accused of taking part in an underground organization, known as Ergenekon, that allegedly plotted to overthrow Erdogan after he was elected in 2002. The arrests have deeply demoralized and rattled the military upon which Washington depends.

Military Power Over Military Power Over Turkey’s Politics May Be Turkey’s Politics May Be

SlippingSlipping• Erdogan is pushing a major overhaul that would amend the country's

1982 military constitution with reforms including changes to statutes covering the prosecution of military officers. In a recent poll, 58 percent of respondents said Turkey needs a civilian constitution compared with 20 percent who said it doesn't. Three months ago, a law was passed limiting the military's role to guard against external threats rather than perceived domestic ones.

• Ataturk's image is still just about everywhere, but when Turkey issued a new currency last year, the founder of the republic was put on only one side of the bill rather than both. The military no longer guards the parliament building, a symbolic change.

• Critics of the newly proposed amendments fear that the key changes — the way appointments are made to the constitutional court, the main watchdog of secularism in Turkey, and to the Senior Council of Judges and Prosecutors, responsible for judicial appointments and monitoring court officials — would damage Turkey’s founding principles.

Implications for Relations Implications for Relations with the Westwith the West

• It is not clear whether the present government of Turkey really cares to be part of the EU. Thus, when some European leaders insist that Turkey has no place in Europe, they may be playing into the hands of the Islamist forces in Turkey who can say, in effect, "The EU is a Christian club which will never accept us, so we need to look elsewhere, to our Muslim brothers."

• In addition, American involvement has not always proven helpful. The U.S. attempted to reach out to radical leaders in a mistaken belief that they were forces of moderate Islam, thus inadvertently granting them legitimacy.

• If a moderate form of Turkish Islam is to be revived, it must stand up to the onslaught of Wahhabism and the temptations of Islamism.

Turkey TodayTurkey TodayThe PeopleThe People

• Population: 71,892,808 (July 2008 est.)– 70% Urban

• Ethnic groups: Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20%

• Religions: Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)

Turkic Speaking Turkic Speaking PeoplesPeoples

The Kurdish The Kurdish ProblemProblem

• Turkey's treatment of its citizens of Kurdish origin has been a frequent subject of international criticism.

• Kurds have largely resisted forcible assimilation policies of the government since 1930s.

• The main strategy for assimilating the Kurds has been suppression of their language. Most Kurds have retained their native tongue, despite the governmental efforts over several decades to promote Turkish among them.

Kurdish language in Turkey Kurdish language in Turkey

• 1938, Kurdish banned; any individual using Kurdish in public could be fined.• 1961, with a new Turkish constitution, Kurdish publications began to appear, often bilingual, but frequently banned as soon as they appeared. • From 1967 through the late 80s a series of laws was promulgated which repressed the use of Kurdish. • 1991, the Turkish government removed prohibitions on use of Kurdish. Most Kurds in Turkey, even those who no longer speak Kurdish, regard it as symbolic of their ethnic identity.

Kurdish Armed Kurdish Armed RebellionsRebellions

• Armed rebellions in 1925, 1927-30, 1937, 1984-present• Present led by Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), originally a

Marxist-based group, now more Kurdish nationalistic.• Estimate that the number killed since 1984 exceed 40,000.• Turkey makes frequent air and ground strikes into Northern

Iraq against suspected PKK bases. • President Bush welcomed Prime Minister Erdogan to

Washington for a White House visit on November 5, 2007, during which he committed to provide greater assistance to Turkey in its fight against terrorism from the PKK, which he characterized as a "common enemy" of Turkey, Iraq, and the United States. He reiterated this commitment during President Gul's January 8, 2008, White House visit.

Abdullah OcalanAbdullah OcalanKurdish LeaderKurdish Leader

Born around 1950, to a peasant family in a small village in southern Turkey.Studied political scienceat Ankara U. Founder ofKurdish Workers’ Party,PKK. Captured by TurkishIntelligence (in Kenya) in 1999.Death sentencecommuted to life.

The PKK is blamed for~40,000 deaths sinceearly 1980s.

Turkish Political Turkish Political StructureStructure

Turkish LegislatureTurkish Legislature

• Unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi (550 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

• Elections: last held on 22 July 2007 (next to be held on November 2012). Members appointed from Party lists according to percentage of vote the Party receives. Only parties surpassing 10% of the vote are entitled to parliamentary seats

• Election Results: Justice and Development Party (AKP) 340, Republican People's Party (CHP) 87, Nationalist Action Party (MHP) 70, Democratic Society Party (DTP) 20, Democratic Left Party (DSP) 13, independents 6, other 12, vacant 2.

Political PartiesPolitical Parties• 49 Official Parties• The Justice and Development Party is the ideological successor

of the Welfare Party which incorporates Muslim Brotherhood ideas. It also portrays itself as a moderate, conservative, pro-Western party that advocates a liberal market economy and Turkish membership in the European Union. Shifted the focus of religiously-affiliated politics from concern over Turkey’s lack of Islamic characteristics to pushing for democratic and economic reforms in addition to stressing moral values. THE SLAMISTS.

• Republican People's Party is a center-leftist political party with traditional ties to middle and upper-middle classes such as white-collar workers, retired generals, government bureaucrats, academicians, college students, left-leaning intellectuals, labor unions, and well-to-do entrepreneurs. THE SECULARISTS.

Political PartiesPolitical Parties• Nationalist Action Party is focused on defending a unitary

state and a Turkish identity encompassing all of Turkey's citizens in the face of demands for a federal state reflecting regional ethnic differences. RIGHT WING.

• Democratic Left Party is a social democratic oriented party a mix of social democracy, democratic socialism, secularism and patriotism. The symbol of the, white dove was selected to symbolize the pacifism and social accordance. TURKISH NATIONALISTS ON LEFT

• Democratic Society Party was set up by the veteran Kurdish politicians upon their release from prison in 2004. The president of the DTP, Nurettin Demirtaş, remains imprisoned. Party is alleged to have relations with the PKK Kurdish militant secessionist group. Socialist political/economic program. KURDISH NATIONALIST.

Turk Parliament Turk Parliament CompositionComposition

Execuctive BranchExecuctive Branch

• Chief of State: President Abdullah GUL (since 28 August 2007). President elected by the National Assembly for one seven-year term; President-elect must have a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly on the first two ballots or a simple majority on the third ballot. Abdullah GUL received 339 votes in the third round of voting on 28 August 2007, after failing to garner the two thirds vote required by law in the first two rounds. Pursuant to a constitutional amendment package approved by voters in an October 2007 referendum, the next president will be directly elected by the voters for a term of 5 years and can serve for a maximum of two terms.

• Head of Government: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (since 14 March 2003); Prime minister appointed by the president from among members of parliament. The parliament must approve the Prime Minister through a vote of confidence in his government.

• Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister. Approved by legislature vote of confidence in the government.

Recep Tayyip Recep Tayyip ErdoganErdogan

The Real Political LeaderThe Real Political Leader • Born: 1954 into a lower middle classfamily.• Previously mayor of Istanbul, where he had a reputation for honesty. • Knows no foreign language, and little economics.• 1998: convicted of incitingreligious hatred;• Charismatic leader.• Pushing for entrance to EU, pledgingreforms to make Turkey more democratic and pluralist and bring it in line with the Union's membership criteria. .

Attempt to Ban The Attempt to Ban The AKPAKP

• During a trip to Spain, Prime Minister Erdogan remarked "What if head scarf is a symbol (of political Islam)? Even if it were a political symbol, does that give right to ban it?

• The Chief Public Prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals filed an indictment charging members of the AKP party of acted the area between the "Person" and "God", which is banned to politicians by the Turkish constitution.

• In addition to the AK Party's disbanding, the prosecutor demanded a five-year ban from involvement in politics for 71 senior AK Party administrators, including Prime Minister Erdoğan and President Abdullah Gül.

• After deliberating for three days, the Constitutional Court gave its verdict on July 30, 2008. The AKP was found guilty of becoming the focus of anti-secularist actions. A qualified majority of seven out of eleven votes is required to disband a political party. Six members of the Court voted in favour of disbanding the party. The court did decide to cut the party's state funding, worth about $58 million, in half. None of the AKP members were banned.

International International RelationsRelations

• Turkey's primary political, economic, and security ties are with the West, although some voices call for a more "Eurasian" orientation.

• Turkey entered NATO in 1952 and serves as the organization's vital eastern anchor, controlling the straits leading from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and sharing a border with Syria, Iraq, and Iran. A NATO headquarters is located in Izmir.

• Turkey and the EU formed a customs union beginning January 1, 1996. The agreement covers industrial and processed agricultural goods. Turkey is harmonizing its laws and regulations with EU standards. Turkey adopted the EU's Common External Tariff regime, effectively lowering Turkey's tariffs for third countries, including the United States.

• In December 1999, Turkey became a candidate for EU membership. On December 17, 2004, the EU decided to begin formal accession negotiations with Turkey in October 2005.

• Turkey is also a member of the UN, the WTO, the OECD, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the Islamic Conference Organization.

International International RelationsRelations

• Public anger flared over Israel‘s seizure last June of a Turkish-flagged aid ship headed to the Gaza Strip, which is under an Israeli blockade. The incident occurred as Turkey has been strengthening ties with Muslim governments in the region -- becoming more vocally pro-Palestinian and trying to head off new U.N. sanctions on Iran.

• That has prompted worried speculation at home and abroad that Turkey is turning away from the West.

• Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become an increasingly outspoken critic of Israel. He lambasted Israeli President Shimon Peres during a conference in Switzerland on Jan. 29, 2009, over Israel’s occupation of Arab lands, winning applause at home and in the Middle East.

• Erdogan's picture was hoisted in the streets of Gaza after he accused Israel of carrying out a "bloody massacre" in seizing the Turkish ship. Nine activists on board, mostly Turkish, were killed when Israeli commandos opened fire.

The Cypriot IssueThe Cypriot Issue

• Turkey invaded Cyprus by sea and air on July 20, 1974, following the failure of diplomatic efforts to resolve conflicts between Turkish and Greek Cypriots. Turkey unilaterally announced a cease-fire on Aug. 16, after having gained control of 40% of the island. Turkish Cypriots established their own state in

the north on Feb. 13, 1975.

U.S. Turkish U.S. Turkish RelationsRelations

• Difficulties faced by Greece after World War II in quelling a communist rebellion and demands by the Soviet Union for military bases in the Turkish Straits prompted the United States to declare the Truman Doctrine in 1947.

• The doctrine enunciated American intentions to guarantee the security of Turkey and Greece and resulted in large scale U.S. military and economic aid under the Marshall Plan. The United States loaned and granted Turkey more than $12.5 billion in economic aid and $14 billion in military assistance.

• Relations were strained when Turkey refused in March 2003 to allow U.S. troops to deploy through its territory to Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom, but regained momentum steadily thereafter and mutual interests remain strong across a wide spectrum of issues.

U.S. Turkish U.S. Turkish RelationsRelations

• Turkey recalled its ambassador to the United States and threatened to withdraw its support of the war in Iraq in October 2007 after the U.S. House Foreign Relations Committee passed a resolution labeling as genocide Turkey's murder of some 1.5 million Armenians during World War I. President George Bush strongly urged members of the committee to vote against the resolution.

• According to the Pew Charitable Trust Global Attitudes Survey, 23 % of Turks hold a favorable view of the U.S. , 67% hold an unfavorable view.

The EconomyThe Economy• The economy is currently in transition from a high degree of

reliance on agriculture and heavy industrial economy to a more diversified economy with an increasingly large and globalized services sector.

• Coming out of a tradition of a state-directed economy that was relatively closed to the outside world, Prime Minister and then President Turgut Ozal began to open up the economy in the 1980s, leading to the signing of a Customs Union with the European Union in 1995.

• Large numbers of Turks have migrated to Germany and other western European countries as guest workers.

• Custom’s Union with European Union in 1995• Free Trade Agreement with Israel in 1996.• Limited FTA’s with Morocco and Syria in 2004• GDP per capita: $12,000

The EconomyThe Economy

• Turkey's economy grew an average of 6.0% per year from 2002 through 2007--one of the highest sustained rates of growth in the world. It is expected to grow about 5.5% in 2008. Inflation and interest rates have fallen significantly, the currency has stabilized, government debt has declined to more supportable levels, and business and consumer confidence have returned.

• Turkey's principal ongoing economic challenge is providing for the needs of a fast-growing, young population. Making the educational sector more responsive to the needs of the economy is an important goal.