turkey’s political islam and the west: the evolving nature of a relationship
TRANSCRIPT
7272019 Turkeyrsquos Political Islam and the West The Evolving Nature of a Relationship
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullturkeys-political-islam-and-the-west-the-evolving-nature-of-a-relationship 14
Summary The approach to
ldquothe Westrdquo occupied a central
place in Turkish Political
Islamrsquos identity formulation
and distinguished them from
other ldquosystemicrdquo parties
Nevertheless Turkish Political
Islamrsquos stance on the ldquoWestrdquo
has not been static Insteadthe character of the relations
has acquired new shapes and
dynamism particularly in the
late 1990s and 2000s For a
better understanding of the
evolution it is necessary to
divide the time-span from the
Welfare Party to the governing
Justice and Development Party
(AKP) into distinguishable
periods These periods can be
described as going from rejection
of political Islam of the Westto its enthusiastic embrace
and from co-existence to
uncertainty Currently opposing
trends have been set in motion
simultaneously and ambiguity
rules Turkeyrsquos relations with the
West
Analysis
Turkeyrsquos Political Islam and the West
The Evolving Nature of a Relationship
by Galip Dalay
June 2 2014
Analysis
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O F F I C E S
Introduction
ldquoTe Westrdquo has been a contentioustopic or the Islamic Movements allacross the Muslim World Tis waslargely resulted rom historical interac-tions (such as colonialism) betweenthe West and Muslim-majority worldIndeed some o these movements firstemerged as anti-colonial resistancemovements Te West thereore hasconstituted Political Islamrsquos1 political
other
urkey does not have a history obeing colonized thereore urkeyrsquosPolitical Islam (PI) lacks some othe historical memories common toother Islamic Movements Moreoverurkeyrsquos experience with the Westunique among all Muslim countrieswhere Westernization and modern-ization was regarded as interchange-able and pursued as state policy or
1 The usage of the term ldquoPolitical Islamrdquo to denote
parties of the pro-Islamic National Outlook Movement
(NOM) tradition and the ruling AKP is a contested issue
A variety of other labels such as conservative Political
Muslumanism and Muslim Democrats have been offered
by many scholars in lieu of ldquoPolitical Islamrdquo Moreover
once set against Political Islamist movements across
the Arab World Turkeyrsquos ldquoPolitical Islamrdquo might appear
more like a conventional conservative party than Political
Islamist Yet the choice of the term Political Islam in this
piece is motivated by Turkeyrsquos domestic political context
rather than any theoretical considerations Domestically
this term is widely used to describe the identity of the
concerned parties
majority o republican history sets PIapart rom other examples In spite othis the approach to the West occu-pied a central place in PIrsquos identity-ormulation and distinguished themrom other ldquosystemicrdquo parties Never-theless PIrsquos stance on the West hasnot been static Instead the charactero the relationship has acquired newshapes and dynamism particularlyin the late 1990s and 2000s New
circumstances have emerged such asPolitical Islamrsquos lessons o the 1990s inparticular the February 28 1997 coupthat toppled the Reah Party (WelareParty WP) led-government In thisrespect the domestic context andconsiderations have exerted a signifi-cant impact on urkish Political Islamrsquosattitude toward the West
o better illustrate this evolution itis necessary to divide the time-span
rom the WP to the governing Justiceand Development Party (AKP) intodistinct periods the Welare Partyrsquosbrie rule (1996-97) and the first(2002-07) second (2007-11) andthird (2011-present ) periods o theAKPrsquos rule Tese periods can also bedescribed respectively as going romPolitical Islamrsquos rejection o the West to
7272019 Turkeyrsquos Political Islam and the West The Evolving Nature of a Relationship
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullturkeys-political-islam-and-the-west-the-evolving-nature-of-a-relationship 24
Analysis
2
Analysis
WP Leader Necmettin Erbakan
regarded the current international
system as being underpinned
by Judeo-Christian values and
therefore having no place for a
Muslim power
its enthusiastic embrace and rom co-existence to uncer-
tainty
Rejection of the West as Constitutive Other
Te WP along with other parties that came rom the tradi-tion o the Islamic National Outlook Movement (NOM)regarded the West as their ideological and constitutiveother Te West thereore assumed a central place in theirdefinition o their identities For the WP it was a means toset itsel apart rom all other ldquostatus quordquo parties given thaturkeyrsquos Westward-orientation was a state policy and chal-lenged by no mainstream party in earnest In this respectthe WP could easily claim a special place with its anti-
Western rhetoric denouncing Europe as a Christian clubthe international system as a Judeo-Christian artiact andinternational institutions as tools o Western imperialismand capitalism
rue to its antisystemic posture the WP attempted to laythe oundation or a parallel Islamic international systemduring its brie period in office by bringing together eightMuslim-majority countries to create D8 mirroring theG8 Moreover the WPrsquos leader Necmettin Erbakan wouldspeculate about creation o a common Islamic currency thedinar or a long time Tis currency was meant to be used
as a currency o exchange and reserve in the envisionedcommon Islamic market mirroring a rudimentary orm othe EU and its euro currency
Moreover the party regarded the West as a homogenousmonolithic entity composed o the United States Europeand Israel In their criticism they adopted the blanketterm ldquothe Westrdquo rather than make distinctions betweenits elements Lastly Erbakanrsquos critique o the West andWestern-led institutions were not primarily related tourkeyrsquos under-representation in the system unlike currentPrime Minister Recep ayyip Erdoğan whose criticism
o the West does not ocus on values but on the perceivedunder-representation o urkey in the system InsteadErbakanrsquos critique was more value-driven He regardedthe current international system as being underpinnedby Judeo-Christian values and thereore having no placeor a Muslim power Te only way or urkey to reclaimits proper place and status in the international arenacommensurate with its historical mission was by way ospearheading the creation o a parallel Islamic interna-tional system and then leading it Tis attitude only urther
aggravated the WPrsquos crisis o legitimacy domestically andinternationally
Yet during its brie period in power the WP was unableto translate its criticisms o the West into governmentalpolicies due to institutional constraints and the competinginterests rom within the coalition government Neverthe-less the toppling o the WP-led government in 1997 elicitedno serious criticisms either rom the West or rom withinurkey Te younger and reorm-minded cadres o theNOM which later ounded the AKP interpreted this as the
result o the partyrsquos anti-Western and antisystemic stance
Genuine Embrace of the West
as Legitimacy-Conferring İnstrumentDistancing itsel rom the WPrsquos experience the AKP2 actively sought to commence membership talks with theEU improve the relations with the United States and tomaintain cordial ties with Israel upon coming to powerin 2002 It considered unbreakable the ties between theadoption o human rights and democracy-ocused rhetoricintegration with the EU and overcoming its crisis o secu-rity and legitimacy both internally and internationally Temilitaryrsquos then continuing undue influence over politicswas endangering the partyrsquos survival Te EU process notonly necessitated curtailing the militaryrsquos clout over politicsthereby effectively alleviating urkeyrsquos macro-democraticdeficit but also accorded legitimacy to the AKP Tis couldnot have been solved merely through election victories asthe downall o the WP had demonstrated Tus unlike the
2 The AKP has been put under Political Islamrsquos umbrella because almost all the partyrsquos
founding members came from the NOM tradition and their breakaway from the NOM was
largely not motivated by the traditionrsquos goals rather its political style
7272019 Turkeyrsquos Political Islam and the West The Evolving Nature of a Relationship
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullturkeys-political-islam-and-the-west-the-evolving-nature-of-a-relationship 34
Analysis
3
Analysis
The AKPrsquos third term has been
shaped by the Arab Spring and
characterized by uncertainty in
Turkeyrsquos relations with the West
WP the AKP regarded the West as an instrument to gain
domestic and international legitimacyMoreover in contrast to Erbakan Erdoğan rerained romusing the blanket term ldquothe Westrdquo in his criticisms largelydifferentiating between Western countries instead Forinstance when urkeyrsquos relations with the United Statessuffered a considerable setback during the invasion o Iraqurkey-EU relations experienced a honeymoon periodLikewise when urkish-Israeli relations were deterioratingurkey strove to keep its relations with the United Statesintact However it needs to be recognized that the politicalcontext o the early 2000s and the securitization o Islamic
politics played the primary role in the AKPrsquos overenthusi-astic pro-Europeanness Consequently it was untenable inthe long-run
Co-Existence and Balancing
In its second term the AKP attempted to balance itsWestern-ocused oreign policy with alternative rame-works to achieve a more prominent international role Tereduced military threat urkeyrsquos growing economy andthe election o leaders opposing urkeyrsquos EU membershipin Germany and France in 2005 and 2007 respectivelyresulted in reduced enthusiasm or the AKPrsquos pro-Western
(EU + the United States) stance During this period urkeyengaged in its surrounding regions more vigorously Tiswas also when urkey carved out a unique position oritsel as mediator and acilitator in some o the intractablelong-lasting issues and conflicts Tis included mediatingbetween Israel and Syria Iran and the West and differentPalestinian actions albeit largely to no avail
The Era of Uncertainty
Te AKPrsquos third term has been shaped by the Arab Springand characterized by uncertainty in urkeyrsquos relations with
the West In the early stages o the Arab Spring with the rise
o Islamic Movements across the region and the gradualretreat o the United States urkey saw an opportunity tolead these revolutions and fill a perceived emerging power vacuum Te AKP saw their shared Islamic identity andlexicon as its vantage point in orming closer relations withthe Arab Worldrsquos uture political elites Essentially the AKPbelieved its identity (values) and interests were in sync inthe post-Arab Spring countries In contrast a competitionor influence particularly with France and Britain was seenas inevitable as demonstrated by their conflicting positionson Libya Such a reading o events created the incentive orurkey to prioritize the Arab World even at the expense o
relations with the West A three-year hiatus on opening newchapters or urkeyrsquos EU accession was partially a reflectiono this understanding
However the Syrian imbroglio exposed urkeyrsquos limitsand the gap between capacity and discourse along with itsreliance on the West in the security realm Appreciationo ties to the West especially to NAO soon turned intostern criticisms o the West and o the international systemonce the much-anticipated intervention did not materializeBitter criticisms o the West reached their apex during thecoup in Egypt and the Gezi Park Protests Te Westrsquos stance
on the Egyptian coup and on the Syrian Crisis have beenseen by urkeyrsquos political elites as the maniestation o itsanti-Islamic movement strategy in the region Te Westrsquosoverall approach to the Ukraine crisis urther reinorcedthis sentiment In addition constant criticism o urkey bymedia and official circles in the West is seen by the govern-ment through the same lenses Te more urkey receivessuch rebukes even i many o them are not misplaced themore political elites resort to an anti-Western parlancePutting aside the politically expedient nature o suchdenunciations aimed or domestic consumption this cyclei not reversed can cause the West to once again be recast
as urkeyrsquos conservative circlersquos political ldquootherrdquo o avoidthis due criticism should not give the impression o cast outurkey
Nevertheless mindul o the value o Western ties thegovernment is partially attempting to recover its relationswith the West Opening a new accession chapter with theEU afer three years signing o readmission agreementand launching dialogue on visa liberalization with theEU the AKPrsquos decision to open an office in Brussels and
7272019 Turkeyrsquos Political Islam and the West The Evolving Nature of a Relationship
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullturkeys-political-islam-and-the-west-the-evolving-nature-of-a-relationship 44
Analysis
4
Analysis
About the Author
Galip Dalay works as a researcher in the political research department
at the SEA Foundation in urkey He is also the book review editor o
Insight Turkey His opinion articles have appeared in AJE Opinion AJE
Magazine Huffington Post World Politics Review Fair Observers and
in major urkish dailies
About GMF
Te German Marshall Fund o the United States (GMF) strengthens
transatlantic cooperation on regional national and global challenges
and opportunities in the spirit o the Marshall Plan GMF does this by
supporting individuals and institutions working in the transatlantic
sphere by convening leaders and members o the policy and business
communities by contributing research and analysis on transatlantic
topics and by providing exchange opportunities to oster renewed
commitment to the transatlantic relationship In addition GMF
supports a number o initiatives to strengthen democracies Founded
in 1972 as a non-partisan non-profit organization through a gif rom
Germany as a permanent memorial to Marshall Plan assistance GMF
maintains a strong presence on both sides o the Atlantic In addition
to its headquarters in Washington DC GMF has offices in Berlin
Paris Brussels Belgrade Ankara Bucharest Warsaw and unis GMF
also has smaller representations in Bratislava urin and Stockholm
About the On Turkey SeriesGMFrsquos On urkey is an ongoing series o analysis bries about urkeyrsquos
current political situation and its uture GMF provides regular
analysis bries by leading urkish European and US writers and
intellectuals with a ocus on dispatches rom on-the-ground urkish
observers o access the latest bries please visit our web site at www
gmusorgturkey or subscribe to our mailing list at httpdatabase
gmusorgreaction
the gradual mending o ties with Israel all point to such a
desire But the counter-examples abound as well Te AKPrsquosdecision to leave the European Peoplersquos Party citing thegrouprsquos reusal to upgrade the AKPrsquos observer status to ullmembership as the cause to instead join the Euro-skepticAlliance o European Conservative and Reormists is onesuch example
In the AKPrsquos third term thereore opposing trends havebeen set in motion simultaneously As such uncertaintycurrently rules urkeyrsquos relations to the West Te uturedirection will be largely determined by the domestic andregional political context and the Westrsquos reaction to them
Tus the evolution o urkish Political Islamrsquos under-standing o and approach to the West continues
7272019 Turkeyrsquos Political Islam and the West The Evolving Nature of a Relationship
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullturkeys-political-islam-and-the-west-the-evolving-nature-of-a-relationship 24
Analysis
2
Analysis
WP Leader Necmettin Erbakan
regarded the current international
system as being underpinned
by Judeo-Christian values and
therefore having no place for a
Muslim power
its enthusiastic embrace and rom co-existence to uncer-
tainty
Rejection of the West as Constitutive Other
Te WP along with other parties that came rom the tradi-tion o the Islamic National Outlook Movement (NOM)regarded the West as their ideological and constitutiveother Te West thereore assumed a central place in theirdefinition o their identities For the WP it was a means toset itsel apart rom all other ldquostatus quordquo parties given thaturkeyrsquos Westward-orientation was a state policy and chal-lenged by no mainstream party in earnest In this respectthe WP could easily claim a special place with its anti-
Western rhetoric denouncing Europe as a Christian clubthe international system as a Judeo-Christian artiact andinternational institutions as tools o Western imperialismand capitalism
rue to its antisystemic posture the WP attempted to laythe oundation or a parallel Islamic international systemduring its brie period in office by bringing together eightMuslim-majority countries to create D8 mirroring theG8 Moreover the WPrsquos leader Necmettin Erbakan wouldspeculate about creation o a common Islamic currency thedinar or a long time Tis currency was meant to be used
as a currency o exchange and reserve in the envisionedcommon Islamic market mirroring a rudimentary orm othe EU and its euro currency
Moreover the party regarded the West as a homogenousmonolithic entity composed o the United States Europeand Israel In their criticism they adopted the blanketterm ldquothe Westrdquo rather than make distinctions betweenits elements Lastly Erbakanrsquos critique o the West andWestern-led institutions were not primarily related tourkeyrsquos under-representation in the system unlike currentPrime Minister Recep ayyip Erdoğan whose criticism
o the West does not ocus on values but on the perceivedunder-representation o urkey in the system InsteadErbakanrsquos critique was more value-driven He regardedthe current international system as being underpinnedby Judeo-Christian values and thereore having no placeor a Muslim power Te only way or urkey to reclaimits proper place and status in the international arenacommensurate with its historical mission was by way ospearheading the creation o a parallel Islamic interna-tional system and then leading it Tis attitude only urther
aggravated the WPrsquos crisis o legitimacy domestically andinternationally
Yet during its brie period in power the WP was unableto translate its criticisms o the West into governmentalpolicies due to institutional constraints and the competinginterests rom within the coalition government Neverthe-less the toppling o the WP-led government in 1997 elicitedno serious criticisms either rom the West or rom withinurkey Te younger and reorm-minded cadres o theNOM which later ounded the AKP interpreted this as the
result o the partyrsquos anti-Western and antisystemic stance
Genuine Embrace of the West
as Legitimacy-Conferring İnstrumentDistancing itsel rom the WPrsquos experience the AKP2 actively sought to commence membership talks with theEU improve the relations with the United States and tomaintain cordial ties with Israel upon coming to powerin 2002 It considered unbreakable the ties between theadoption o human rights and democracy-ocused rhetoricintegration with the EU and overcoming its crisis o secu-rity and legitimacy both internally and internationally Temilitaryrsquos then continuing undue influence over politicswas endangering the partyrsquos survival Te EU process notonly necessitated curtailing the militaryrsquos clout over politicsthereby effectively alleviating urkeyrsquos macro-democraticdeficit but also accorded legitimacy to the AKP Tis couldnot have been solved merely through election victories asthe downall o the WP had demonstrated Tus unlike the
2 The AKP has been put under Political Islamrsquos umbrella because almost all the partyrsquos
founding members came from the NOM tradition and their breakaway from the NOM was
largely not motivated by the traditionrsquos goals rather its political style
7272019 Turkeyrsquos Political Islam and the West The Evolving Nature of a Relationship
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullturkeys-political-islam-and-the-west-the-evolving-nature-of-a-relationship 34
Analysis
3
Analysis
The AKPrsquos third term has been
shaped by the Arab Spring and
characterized by uncertainty in
Turkeyrsquos relations with the West
WP the AKP regarded the West as an instrument to gain
domestic and international legitimacyMoreover in contrast to Erbakan Erdoğan rerained romusing the blanket term ldquothe Westrdquo in his criticisms largelydifferentiating between Western countries instead Forinstance when urkeyrsquos relations with the United Statessuffered a considerable setback during the invasion o Iraqurkey-EU relations experienced a honeymoon periodLikewise when urkish-Israeli relations were deterioratingurkey strove to keep its relations with the United Statesintact However it needs to be recognized that the politicalcontext o the early 2000s and the securitization o Islamic
politics played the primary role in the AKPrsquos overenthusi-astic pro-Europeanness Consequently it was untenable inthe long-run
Co-Existence and Balancing
In its second term the AKP attempted to balance itsWestern-ocused oreign policy with alternative rame-works to achieve a more prominent international role Tereduced military threat urkeyrsquos growing economy andthe election o leaders opposing urkeyrsquos EU membershipin Germany and France in 2005 and 2007 respectivelyresulted in reduced enthusiasm or the AKPrsquos pro-Western
(EU + the United States) stance During this period urkeyengaged in its surrounding regions more vigorously Tiswas also when urkey carved out a unique position oritsel as mediator and acilitator in some o the intractablelong-lasting issues and conflicts Tis included mediatingbetween Israel and Syria Iran and the West and differentPalestinian actions albeit largely to no avail
The Era of Uncertainty
Te AKPrsquos third term has been shaped by the Arab Springand characterized by uncertainty in urkeyrsquos relations with
the West In the early stages o the Arab Spring with the rise
o Islamic Movements across the region and the gradualretreat o the United States urkey saw an opportunity tolead these revolutions and fill a perceived emerging power vacuum Te AKP saw their shared Islamic identity andlexicon as its vantage point in orming closer relations withthe Arab Worldrsquos uture political elites Essentially the AKPbelieved its identity (values) and interests were in sync inthe post-Arab Spring countries In contrast a competitionor influence particularly with France and Britain was seenas inevitable as demonstrated by their conflicting positionson Libya Such a reading o events created the incentive orurkey to prioritize the Arab World even at the expense o
relations with the West A three-year hiatus on opening newchapters or urkeyrsquos EU accession was partially a reflectiono this understanding
However the Syrian imbroglio exposed urkeyrsquos limitsand the gap between capacity and discourse along with itsreliance on the West in the security realm Appreciationo ties to the West especially to NAO soon turned intostern criticisms o the West and o the international systemonce the much-anticipated intervention did not materializeBitter criticisms o the West reached their apex during thecoup in Egypt and the Gezi Park Protests Te Westrsquos stance
on the Egyptian coup and on the Syrian Crisis have beenseen by urkeyrsquos political elites as the maniestation o itsanti-Islamic movement strategy in the region Te Westrsquosoverall approach to the Ukraine crisis urther reinorcedthis sentiment In addition constant criticism o urkey bymedia and official circles in the West is seen by the govern-ment through the same lenses Te more urkey receivessuch rebukes even i many o them are not misplaced themore political elites resort to an anti-Western parlancePutting aside the politically expedient nature o suchdenunciations aimed or domestic consumption this cyclei not reversed can cause the West to once again be recast
as urkeyrsquos conservative circlersquos political ldquootherrdquo o avoidthis due criticism should not give the impression o cast outurkey
Nevertheless mindul o the value o Western ties thegovernment is partially attempting to recover its relationswith the West Opening a new accession chapter with theEU afer three years signing o readmission agreementand launching dialogue on visa liberalization with theEU the AKPrsquos decision to open an office in Brussels and
7272019 Turkeyrsquos Political Islam and the West The Evolving Nature of a Relationship
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullturkeys-political-islam-and-the-west-the-evolving-nature-of-a-relationship 44
Analysis
4
Analysis
About the Author
Galip Dalay works as a researcher in the political research department
at the SEA Foundation in urkey He is also the book review editor o
Insight Turkey His opinion articles have appeared in AJE Opinion AJE
Magazine Huffington Post World Politics Review Fair Observers and
in major urkish dailies
About GMF
Te German Marshall Fund o the United States (GMF) strengthens
transatlantic cooperation on regional national and global challenges
and opportunities in the spirit o the Marshall Plan GMF does this by
supporting individuals and institutions working in the transatlantic
sphere by convening leaders and members o the policy and business
communities by contributing research and analysis on transatlantic
topics and by providing exchange opportunities to oster renewed
commitment to the transatlantic relationship In addition GMF
supports a number o initiatives to strengthen democracies Founded
in 1972 as a non-partisan non-profit organization through a gif rom
Germany as a permanent memorial to Marshall Plan assistance GMF
maintains a strong presence on both sides o the Atlantic In addition
to its headquarters in Washington DC GMF has offices in Berlin
Paris Brussels Belgrade Ankara Bucharest Warsaw and unis GMF
also has smaller representations in Bratislava urin and Stockholm
About the On Turkey SeriesGMFrsquos On urkey is an ongoing series o analysis bries about urkeyrsquos
current political situation and its uture GMF provides regular
analysis bries by leading urkish European and US writers and
intellectuals with a ocus on dispatches rom on-the-ground urkish
observers o access the latest bries please visit our web site at www
gmusorgturkey or subscribe to our mailing list at httpdatabase
gmusorgreaction
the gradual mending o ties with Israel all point to such a
desire But the counter-examples abound as well Te AKPrsquosdecision to leave the European Peoplersquos Party citing thegrouprsquos reusal to upgrade the AKPrsquos observer status to ullmembership as the cause to instead join the Euro-skepticAlliance o European Conservative and Reormists is onesuch example
In the AKPrsquos third term thereore opposing trends havebeen set in motion simultaneously As such uncertaintycurrently rules urkeyrsquos relations to the West Te uturedirection will be largely determined by the domestic andregional political context and the Westrsquos reaction to them
Tus the evolution o urkish Political Islamrsquos under-standing o and approach to the West continues
7272019 Turkeyrsquos Political Islam and the West The Evolving Nature of a Relationship
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullturkeys-political-islam-and-the-west-the-evolving-nature-of-a-relationship 34
Analysis
3
Analysis
The AKPrsquos third term has been
shaped by the Arab Spring and
characterized by uncertainty in
Turkeyrsquos relations with the West
WP the AKP regarded the West as an instrument to gain
domestic and international legitimacyMoreover in contrast to Erbakan Erdoğan rerained romusing the blanket term ldquothe Westrdquo in his criticisms largelydifferentiating between Western countries instead Forinstance when urkeyrsquos relations with the United Statessuffered a considerable setback during the invasion o Iraqurkey-EU relations experienced a honeymoon periodLikewise when urkish-Israeli relations were deterioratingurkey strove to keep its relations with the United Statesintact However it needs to be recognized that the politicalcontext o the early 2000s and the securitization o Islamic
politics played the primary role in the AKPrsquos overenthusi-astic pro-Europeanness Consequently it was untenable inthe long-run
Co-Existence and Balancing
In its second term the AKP attempted to balance itsWestern-ocused oreign policy with alternative rame-works to achieve a more prominent international role Tereduced military threat urkeyrsquos growing economy andthe election o leaders opposing urkeyrsquos EU membershipin Germany and France in 2005 and 2007 respectivelyresulted in reduced enthusiasm or the AKPrsquos pro-Western
(EU + the United States) stance During this period urkeyengaged in its surrounding regions more vigorously Tiswas also when urkey carved out a unique position oritsel as mediator and acilitator in some o the intractablelong-lasting issues and conflicts Tis included mediatingbetween Israel and Syria Iran and the West and differentPalestinian actions albeit largely to no avail
The Era of Uncertainty
Te AKPrsquos third term has been shaped by the Arab Springand characterized by uncertainty in urkeyrsquos relations with
the West In the early stages o the Arab Spring with the rise
o Islamic Movements across the region and the gradualretreat o the United States urkey saw an opportunity tolead these revolutions and fill a perceived emerging power vacuum Te AKP saw their shared Islamic identity andlexicon as its vantage point in orming closer relations withthe Arab Worldrsquos uture political elites Essentially the AKPbelieved its identity (values) and interests were in sync inthe post-Arab Spring countries In contrast a competitionor influence particularly with France and Britain was seenas inevitable as demonstrated by their conflicting positionson Libya Such a reading o events created the incentive orurkey to prioritize the Arab World even at the expense o
relations with the West A three-year hiatus on opening newchapters or urkeyrsquos EU accession was partially a reflectiono this understanding
However the Syrian imbroglio exposed urkeyrsquos limitsand the gap between capacity and discourse along with itsreliance on the West in the security realm Appreciationo ties to the West especially to NAO soon turned intostern criticisms o the West and o the international systemonce the much-anticipated intervention did not materializeBitter criticisms o the West reached their apex during thecoup in Egypt and the Gezi Park Protests Te Westrsquos stance
on the Egyptian coup and on the Syrian Crisis have beenseen by urkeyrsquos political elites as the maniestation o itsanti-Islamic movement strategy in the region Te Westrsquosoverall approach to the Ukraine crisis urther reinorcedthis sentiment In addition constant criticism o urkey bymedia and official circles in the West is seen by the govern-ment through the same lenses Te more urkey receivessuch rebukes even i many o them are not misplaced themore political elites resort to an anti-Western parlancePutting aside the politically expedient nature o suchdenunciations aimed or domestic consumption this cyclei not reversed can cause the West to once again be recast
as urkeyrsquos conservative circlersquos political ldquootherrdquo o avoidthis due criticism should not give the impression o cast outurkey
Nevertheless mindul o the value o Western ties thegovernment is partially attempting to recover its relationswith the West Opening a new accession chapter with theEU afer three years signing o readmission agreementand launching dialogue on visa liberalization with theEU the AKPrsquos decision to open an office in Brussels and
7272019 Turkeyrsquos Political Islam and the West The Evolving Nature of a Relationship
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullturkeys-political-islam-and-the-west-the-evolving-nature-of-a-relationship 44
Analysis
4
Analysis
About the Author
Galip Dalay works as a researcher in the political research department
at the SEA Foundation in urkey He is also the book review editor o
Insight Turkey His opinion articles have appeared in AJE Opinion AJE
Magazine Huffington Post World Politics Review Fair Observers and
in major urkish dailies
About GMF
Te German Marshall Fund o the United States (GMF) strengthens
transatlantic cooperation on regional national and global challenges
and opportunities in the spirit o the Marshall Plan GMF does this by
supporting individuals and institutions working in the transatlantic
sphere by convening leaders and members o the policy and business
communities by contributing research and analysis on transatlantic
topics and by providing exchange opportunities to oster renewed
commitment to the transatlantic relationship In addition GMF
supports a number o initiatives to strengthen democracies Founded
in 1972 as a non-partisan non-profit organization through a gif rom
Germany as a permanent memorial to Marshall Plan assistance GMF
maintains a strong presence on both sides o the Atlantic In addition
to its headquarters in Washington DC GMF has offices in Berlin
Paris Brussels Belgrade Ankara Bucharest Warsaw and unis GMF
also has smaller representations in Bratislava urin and Stockholm
About the On Turkey SeriesGMFrsquos On urkey is an ongoing series o analysis bries about urkeyrsquos
current political situation and its uture GMF provides regular
analysis bries by leading urkish European and US writers and
intellectuals with a ocus on dispatches rom on-the-ground urkish
observers o access the latest bries please visit our web site at www
gmusorgturkey or subscribe to our mailing list at httpdatabase
gmusorgreaction
the gradual mending o ties with Israel all point to such a
desire But the counter-examples abound as well Te AKPrsquosdecision to leave the European Peoplersquos Party citing thegrouprsquos reusal to upgrade the AKPrsquos observer status to ullmembership as the cause to instead join the Euro-skepticAlliance o European Conservative and Reormists is onesuch example
In the AKPrsquos third term thereore opposing trends havebeen set in motion simultaneously As such uncertaintycurrently rules urkeyrsquos relations to the West Te uturedirection will be largely determined by the domestic andregional political context and the Westrsquos reaction to them
Tus the evolution o urkish Political Islamrsquos under-standing o and approach to the West continues
7272019 Turkeyrsquos Political Islam and the West The Evolving Nature of a Relationship
httpslidepdfcomreaderfullturkeys-political-islam-and-the-west-the-evolving-nature-of-a-relationship 44
Analysis
4
Analysis
About the Author
Galip Dalay works as a researcher in the political research department
at the SEA Foundation in urkey He is also the book review editor o
Insight Turkey His opinion articles have appeared in AJE Opinion AJE
Magazine Huffington Post World Politics Review Fair Observers and
in major urkish dailies
About GMF
Te German Marshall Fund o the United States (GMF) strengthens
transatlantic cooperation on regional national and global challenges
and opportunities in the spirit o the Marshall Plan GMF does this by
supporting individuals and institutions working in the transatlantic
sphere by convening leaders and members o the policy and business
communities by contributing research and analysis on transatlantic
topics and by providing exchange opportunities to oster renewed
commitment to the transatlantic relationship In addition GMF
supports a number o initiatives to strengthen democracies Founded
in 1972 as a non-partisan non-profit organization through a gif rom
Germany as a permanent memorial to Marshall Plan assistance GMF
maintains a strong presence on both sides o the Atlantic In addition
to its headquarters in Washington DC GMF has offices in Berlin
Paris Brussels Belgrade Ankara Bucharest Warsaw and unis GMF
also has smaller representations in Bratislava urin and Stockholm
About the On Turkey SeriesGMFrsquos On urkey is an ongoing series o analysis bries about urkeyrsquos
current political situation and its uture GMF provides regular
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gmusorgreaction
the gradual mending o ties with Israel all point to such a
desire But the counter-examples abound as well Te AKPrsquosdecision to leave the European Peoplersquos Party citing thegrouprsquos reusal to upgrade the AKPrsquos observer status to ullmembership as the cause to instead join the Euro-skepticAlliance o European Conservative and Reormists is onesuch example
In the AKPrsquos third term thereore opposing trends havebeen set in motion simultaneously As such uncertaintycurrently rules urkeyrsquos relations to the West Te uturedirection will be largely determined by the domestic andregional political context and the Westrsquos reaction to them
Tus the evolution o urkish Political Islamrsquos under-standing o and approach to the West continues