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What are the Other Goals of Erdogan's Government?

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  • What are the Other Goals of Erdogan's Government?

    Dar Al Hayat (Lebanon)
    April 8, 2010 Thursday
    International Edition

    Ayoon wa Azan

    What are the Other Goals of Erdogan's Government?

    BYLINE: Jihad el-Khazen


    The Turkish army is protecting the secular state that was founded by
    Ataturk and has staged four military coups against civilian
    governments since 1960, the last of which toppled Islamic Prime
    Minister Necmettin Erbakan in 1997. Brother Fahmi Huweidi and I were
    interviewing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the
    inauguration of the Arabic-speaking Al Turkiye channel, while -
    between questions - I could not stop thinking about the ongoing
    confrontation between his government and the secular Turks supported
    by the army, wondering whether the prime minister will be able to
    achieve his goals or will meet the fate of his predecessors.


    My last question during the interview surfaced against the backdrop of
    my knowledge about the role of the Turkish army in political life.
    Erdogan chose to point to the constitutional amendments his government
    proposed in response to the conditions of the European Union to ensure
    the accession of Turkey to it, seeing how this is one of the goals of
    the current government.
    Erdogan's government came a long way to meet the membership
    prerequisites, thus bettering the climate of democracy in the country
    although those opposing it are saying it is a selective democracy
    because it has so far failed to include the rights of the minorities
    such as the Armenians, Christians and Alawites as it did with the
    Kurds whose demands were for the most part responded to.

    Turkey wants a full membership in the European Union but is facing the
    opposition of powerful European states. For their part, Germany and
    France prefer an exceptional partnership with Turkey without engaging
    in the details of what makes this partnership exceptional.
    Nonetheless, I feel that neither democracy nor the other conditions
    will thwart the efforts of the Turkish government, rather Cyprus,
    since the reunification of the island is hitting many obstacles and
    parliamentary elections will be held in it in weeks and may entail the
    victory of a nationalist candidate insisting on the independence of
    the Northern part and opposing the wishes of Ankara's government. This
    will definitely hinder the goal behind the membership.

    But what are the other goals of Erdogan's government? Enhanced
    Coverage LinkingErdogan's government? -The Justice and Development
    Party won the 2002 elections when the term of parliament was of five
    years, before it was later amended to four years. It then won the 2007
    elections and I believe it is highly likely that it will win the 2011
    elections in light of its wide and striking popularity. Indeed,
    although the nationalists and the seculars may compete with it in the
    big cities such as Ankara and Istanbul, its popular base in the
    Anatolian countryside is stable, so as not to say prevalent. Moreover,
    the party is now benefitting from a strong economy which was struck by
    the global financial crisis at first, but was then handled by the
    party in a smart way, thus emerging from this crisis unharmed as the
    last quarter of last year witnessed a 6% increase in the gross
    national product.

    Without the help of a crystal ball, I believe that the Justice and
    Development Party will likely win the upcoming elections and that
    Recep Tayyip Erdogan will remain Prime Minister for the next two years
    or so. Afterwards, and this is how I perceive the situation: he will
    move to the presidency and President Abdullah Gul will become prime
    minister. The latter will then be followed at the head of the party
    and the Cabinet by Ahmet Davutoglu who is the rising star in Turkish
    politics and has surrounded himself with some of the best minds in
    Turkish political life, at a time when the entire party with its
    Islamic background is accused of appointing in the government people
    whom it trusts instead of people enjoying competence and of enjoying a
    secret agenda to annihilate the secular state.

    However, among the most important goals of the Turkish government is
    probably one which is not getting the media coverage it so deserves.
    It is a new strategy for the region which is being set up by Davutoglu
    who believes that the countries in the region are divided as though
    the Cold War was still ongoing, and is thus seeking the establishment
    of a regional order that would manage the region in accordance with
    its interests and based on a vision encompassing both Turkey and the
    Arab countries, and would gradually contain the role of Israel and
    that of Iran later on.

    There are bumps along the road, since although the strategy of the
    foreign minister reflects the heritage of the Islamic group, he is
    opposed by its symbols inside the party who prefer to deal with each
    other to the point where they would choose the supporters at the
    expense of the more qualified.

    As for the European position toward Turkey, it features a confirmed
    racism no matter how much the latter racism is wrapped with false
    excuses. The European Union includes states whose populations have
    aged and are over fifty, at a time when the majority of the Turks are
    young and needed by the European Union to ensure its rejuvenation. I
    then see the opposition of Turkey's youth and dare say it is because
    they are Muslims.

    Yet, I expect the Justice and Development Party to secure more
    successes and hope so because it is the Arabs' natural ally. On the
    other hand and luckily for Abdullah Gul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ahmet
    Davutoglu and their companions, the nationalist and secular opposition
    in Turkey has aged like the Europeans and there are no real
    competitors in the face of the main figures of the Justice and
    Development Party in the near future.
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