Turkey's political intrigue

The latest political maneuvering in Turkey strikes me as a big deal. The Turks are actively dealing with the kinds of issues many foreign policy experts and pundits grapple with regularly: the intersection of religion and politics, but specifically Islam and democracy. Yesterday a Turkish court prevented Abdullah Gul, who has a "background in Islamic politics," from becoming president. Turkey has a parliamentary system, and Turks vote for parties that subsequently form governments in Parliament. Both the Prime minister and President positions are elected by the Parliament itself, rather than through direct elections. Currently, Turkey's Justice and Development Party (often referred to by its Turkish initials, AK, or AKP for "AK Party"), has a commanding parliamentary majority, holding 351 of 550 seats. Despite its electoral popularity, AK is criticized for being a party of religious conservatism in a nation whose political identity is wedded to the secularism of its modern founder, Kemal Attaturk.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should probably admit that I'm a tremendous Turkophile. I love the country and its people, and I think Turkey is greatly undervalued as an ally and model for developing nations. It's not perfect, of course, but it is, I think, on an impressive track. Back when I was in school, riding dinosaurs to class, I studied Middle East international politics at Bogazici University in Istanbul, and I greatly enjoyed my time there (especially the soccer games -- go Besiktas!). So I've followed the past few years of political development, especially the tension between the secular parties and AKP.

Turkey's 2002 election was a shocker, with AKP winning by far the largest share of the vote, and the results produced Turkey's first single party government since 1987 and the country's first two-party parliament in 48 years. It's vital to note, however, that AKP won not because of its religious conservatism but because the secular coalition was viewed as corrupt, out of touch, and stale. AKP and it's leader, current Prime Minister Erdogan, ran on a platform of reform, economic development, and technocracy. More importantly, AKP has mostly delivered on those promises.

This has occurred repeatedly, and yet people still don't understand it: in developing areas, especially the Middle East, the establishment secular rulers are thrown out for domestic reasons -- usually economic and developmental -- and replaced by reformers who happen to be religious conservatives. These groups often build grassroot support, provide services that the government neglects, and quietly but effectively grow their networks from the bottom up. Hamas in the Palestinian territories. Ahmadinejad in Iran. Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. AKP in Turkey. Further, many of those crappy secular governments are/were being propped up by the U.S., to the detriment of the nations' people. Turkey, which is, admittedly, uniquely founded upon the principles of secularism, is now struggling with just how religious politicians can be, and the results will be very interesting.

And it would be easier to criticize or oppose or fear AKP if it wasn't fighting the stagnant status quo in a nation with such great potential.