Free Republic

When Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002, it generated considerable debate between those who saw its success as a potentially liberalizing force and critics who feared it would ultimately bring the end of Turkish democracy. Depending on who you spoke to, the AKP was poised to turn Turkey into either Sweden or Iran; to finally realize Ataturk’s vision of making the country modern and Western or permanently destroy it.Today, a decade and a half later, the future of Turkish democracy certainly looks grim. With President Recep Tayyip Erdogan now leading a heavy-handed campaign to further...

Turkey is emerging as the new player in the unfolding Afghanistan peace process. As Afghanistan and Pakistan work on a peace roadmap, with the active assistance and blessings of London and Washington, Turkey has stepped in, even offering to host senior Taliban leaders released by Pakistan for reconciliation talks with the Afghan government. Although India is not part of the deal, India will be deeply affected by the outcome of whatever political process is implemented in Afghanistan. And with a strong presence on the ground in Afghanistan, India will be keen to ensure its own red lines about the accommodation...

Although both are founding members of Turkey's ruling party, increasingly the two men appear to be at odds with one another on a variety of political issues. The rivalry could have far-reaching consequences for the country. The Turkish president, Abdullah Gul, has in the past few months been challenging what is perceived as the increasingly tough positions of the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whether on the treatment of the country’s Kurdish minority, imprisoned journalists or advocating membership in the European Union. Last month Erdogan voiced his frustration. He said Turkey is not ruled by double-headed governance and he said...

May 3, 2009 Al-Sadr resurfaces in Turkey, meets with Turkish President and Prime Minister Why is this jihadist meeting with the "moderate" and "pro-American" leaders of Turkey? They're talking about the "security of Iraq." Since all parties involved are proponents of Sharia rule, likely that is what will be advanced as a result of this meeting. "Radical anti-US cleric Sadr resurfaces in Turkey," from AFP, May 2 (thanks to all who sent this in): Iraq's Shiite radical leader Moqtada al-Sadr – not seen in public for nearly two years – held face-to-face talks with Turkey's top two leaders Friday, the...

Despite the impact of the rouble's instability and weak oil prices on the Russian economy in recent months , Moscow is pursuing a very active foreign policy strategy. Its elements focus on countering the continuing North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) encirclement policy of Washington, with often clever diplomatic initiatives on its Eurasian periphery. Taking advantage of the cool relations between Washington and longtime NATO ally Turkey, Moscow recently invited Turkish President Abdullah Gul to come to Russia on a four-day state visit to discuss a wide array of economic and political issues.

In one of the most breathtaking displays in history of irresponsibility, a House Committee yesterday voted to label the mass killings of Armenians almost 100 years ago – a genocide. What’s behind this senseless resolution at this time against a country that is not at all the same country that was defeated in World War I? Is it ignorance of history? Is it total arrogance, or is it a clever attempt to hamstring deliveries of needed supplies to American forces in Iraq and complicate our attempts to keep Turkey from acting militarily against Kurdish militants? It appears that Congressional Democrats...

In the latest example of MSM groupthink, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and other major papers hailed the election of Abdullah Gul - a devout Muslim whose wife wears a headscarf – as president of Turkey "a victory for democracy" (in fact, both the WaPo and The Times used this very phrase).So what if Gul was elected? So were Adolph Hitler and Hugo Chavez. "Democratic" elections do not ensure "a victory for democracy."In a presumptuous editorial, The Times even goes so far to advise Turkey’s military, which has overthrown four governments (in 1960, 1971,...

The Turkish parliament on Tuesday elected Abdullah Gul, foreign minister, as the secular country’s first president with an Islamist background. The election of Mr Gul, the candidate of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) which has its roots in political Islam and has ruled Turkey for the past five years, follows a protracted political crisis over his nomination. The party’s previous attempt at electing him to the largely ceremonial but still influential post back in April provoked an angry response from Turkey’s fiercely secular military. It expressed fears that Mr Gul, whose wife wears a headscarf – Islamic headgear that...

Jan 5: Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul assured Israel of the strength of their relationship as he sought to draw a line under a period of tension between the traditional allies. "Our friendship is solid," Gul said at a press briefing with his counterpart Silvan Shalom during the most senior visit by a Turkish official to Israel since the Justice and Development Party, a movement with Islamist roots, came to power in Ankara in 2002. Tensions had escalated last May, when Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned as "state terror" a deadly Israeli operation in the Rafah region of southern...

Jan. 2, 2005 23:43 | Updated Jan. 3, 2005 16:53 FM's arrival signals upswing in ties By HERB KEINON Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is scheduled to arrive Monday for a two-day visit here and in the Palestinian Authority, the highest-level Turkish official to arrive since the Islamic-based Justice and Development Party came to power in November 2002. Gul's visit follows a rough year in relations with Turkey, strained by a series of anti-Israeli comments Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made in the spring and summer. One senior Israeli diplomatic official said Gul's visit is important precisely because of the...

Mar. 11, 2003Turkey's prime minister resigns to open way for party leader to take power By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ANKARA, Turkey - Prime Minister Abdullah Gul resigned Tuesday so that the charismatic leader of his party could take power, a shift that comes as Turkey is under heavy pressure to let in US troops for a possible Iraq war. Gul resigned during a brief meeting at the presidency, an official at the Prime Ministry said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity. The change in leadership had been widely expected. Gul said earlier Tuesday that he would step down so that...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 18 — Increasingly desperate to avoid war, Saudi Arabia is engaged in a campaign to incite Iraqi security forces to overthrow Saddam Hussein if he continues to refuse to step down or go into exile, officials here say. The Saudi leadership is advocating Mr. Hussein's removal as part of a war-avoidance strategy even as the kingdom signals Washington that it will cooperate extensively with an American military buildup in the Persian Gulf, including offering the use of crucial bases and airspace, Saudi officials said this week. It seemed possible that a number of Arab and Muslim...

ANKARA (Reuters) - Abdullah Gul, a strong advocate of Turkish European ambitions and close U.S. ties, has been installed as prime minister as his party announced sweeping plans for economic and social reform to meet EU standards. Gul takes office with NATO member Turkey facing critical weeks. Its crisis-plagued economy is poised between recovery and relapse and it is pushing hard to win a date for European Union entry talks at an EU December summit. "It's time to start work. From this hour onward it's time to mobilise and work night and day to solve the problems of our people,"...

Opinion polls in Turkey say the pro-Islamic Justice and Development Party will probably win emergency elections due in November, as Islamic politics fill the vacuum created by a failure of political leadership. Turkey is unique, a secular democracy in an Islamic nation. It is a key strategic ally of the US which borders Iraq. It cannot be allowed to fail - hence the massive loan from the International Monetary Fund which is saving Turkey from defaulting on its international debts. But Turkey's current leaders are accused of failing the nation, especially the poor and oppressed. Opinion polls say the Justice...