"Looking Towards Turkey's Future, Where Is It and Where Is It Going?
Posted: 03/31/11 11:52 AM ET
The dramatic changes in Turkish foreign policy and strategy in its regional and international relations in the first decade of the new century stand in sharp contrast with that of its immediate past. At no time since their days at the helm of the Ottoman Empire have Turks commanded as much international attention as they do going into 2011. However along with this attention comes increased anxiety and questions about the character, direction and orientation of Ataturk's modern Turkish Republic. Turkey's European Union process is still ongoing, but seems to be in a deep-freeze all the more stark because of the simultaneous warming of relations between Turkey and its neighbors, particularly its Muslim ones. The rise of the conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its Muslim worldview as the dominant and unrivaled force in Turkish politics as personified by Prime Minister Erdoğan has only heightened fears among many in the West that Turkey is on the cusp of becoming another Islamic Republic. Rather than seeing further democratization and economic interests behind Turkey's re-orientation towards its neighborhood, they see a final nail being placed in the coffin of the military and secular elites that once pushed ardently for Westernization. Given the beginning of a new decade and year, it is important to assess exactly where Turkey is today and what is driving these changes."
More:Joshua W. Walker: Looking Towards Turkey's Future, Where Is It and Where Is It Going?
