"UNDERSTANDING TURKEY’S 2011 GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS
By Gerald Robbins
June 2011
Gerald Robbins is a Senior Fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, specializing in analyzing Turkey, the Caucasus region, and Central Asia.
Now that the results are known from Turkey’s June 12 general election, it is an appropriate time to discern this strategically important nation’s state of affairs. Turkey-watching is never an easy matter, especially given the current government’s fluctuating ways which confound many analysts. Nearly a decade has passed since the Justice and Development came to power with its heavily-inspired Islamist thinking. Detractors see the AKP’s methodology as a stealth jihad that’s gradually eroding the country’s secularist bearings. Conversely, AKP’s proponents applaud the various reforms which the party has enacted, ostensibly projecting it as a “bridge” between Western and Muslim civilizations. Whatever the case may be, the Turkish post-electoral environment is at a critical crossroad with far-reaching implications for its society and beyond."
More:E-Notes: Understanding Turkey’s 2011 General Election Results - FPRI