The historical and discoursive roots of the Justice and Development Party’s EU stance

Abstract:

A structural transformation has occurred in the attitude of political Islam in Turkey regarding EU affairs since the 1970s. This essay will show the main steps in this transformation, through an examination of the political discourses and actions of those parties with strong Islamic references. The Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi - AKP), in taking a pro-European stand and in utilizing the accession process for the benefit of the party's program and its execution, represents an important step in this transformation. In fact, the party leaders consistently claim today that their party is not Islamist. Since coming to power, the party leadership has tried to establish a bridge between its past political profile and its current EU accession-based program and actions, amid questions concerning the party's sincerity, which frequently arise among the secular establishment and opposition. This essay tries to show the problems and prospects that the EU accession process imposes on this party.