| Author (Person) | Gardner, David |
|---|---|
| Series Title | Financial Times |
| Series Details | 12.3.10 |
| Publication Date | 12/03/2010 |
| Content Type | News |
|
Commentary feature. Turkey’s ruling AKP party has once again entered into conflict with the Turkish army. This is more than the latest episode in a power struggle commenced as soon as the Justice and Development party (AKP) of Recep Tayyip Erdogan first came to power in 2002. It is more, too, than a battle of wills between neo-Islamists and secularists; more even than a new and dangerous chapter in a recurring constitutional crisis. It is, above all, a clash between two rival establishments jostling for supremacy: the traditional metropolitan elites who see themselves as the guardians of the secular, republican heritage of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey; and the new AKP establishment that combines the conservative and religiously observant traditions of Anatolia with a huge constituency in Turkey’s modern but Muslim middle class. Author argues that what Turkey needs is a regrouping of secular, liberal and social democratic forces into an electable party (something an EU re-engagement with Turkey would help). |
|
| Related Links |
|
| Countries / Regions | Turkey |
