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ANKARAThe election of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogans ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on Sunday to a record third straight majority represents a miracle but only one of many in todays Turkey.
He is now the countrys most successful democratic leader ever. In leading Turkey away from its authoritarian and military-dominated past, he has made it the model for democracy-hungry Arabs, to whom he has lent strong support, including taking in 4,000 Syrians fleeing Bashar al-Assads butchery.
Another miracle is Turkeys economy. At 9 per cent, its growth is second only to Chinas and higher than Indias. Its $1 trillion economy is now not too far behind Canadas.
The third miracle is Turkeys emergence as a strong regional power. Its relations with the United States and Israel may be more strained since Erdogans election in 2002, but Erdogans independent foreign policy of zero problems with neighbours has normalized relations and increased trade with neighbours in the Balkans, the Middle East and the Black Sea basin.
The fourth miracle still in the making is that instead of Europe resisting Turkeys entry into the European Union, it is Turkey that may no longer want the membership.
While the government officially remains committed to E.U., the Turkish people are losing enthusiasm for a continent thats in economic doldrums, suffering an identity crisis and becoming Islamophobic.
Cumulatively, these developments represent a remarkable peaceful, democratic transformation of a nation that just 10 years ago was an economic basket case and where the military routinely toppled the governments it didnt like.
Erdogan now becomes the longest-serving Turkish leader since Kemal Ataturk, the founder of secular Turkey after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the 1920s.
With almost all votes counted last night, Erdogan did not get the two-thirds majority of seats that he coveted to unilaterally rewrite the 1972 military-drafted constitution.
With his majority, he still can. He would only need to consult the opposition and hold a referendum. Thatd be good for democracy, as would be the changes he proposes to the constitution, a deeply flawed document designed to protect the entrenched interests of the military and its partner in authoritarianism, the judiciary.
Both institutions have long resisted democratization, by cleverly posing as protectors of Turkeys secularism. But its not secularism as you and I understand it, but rather authoritarian, anti-religious, anti-democratic and anti-European, anchored in a dangerous nationalism inimical to minorities, such as the autonomy-seeking Kurds.
Its telling that the voters strengthened the main opposition, the secular Republican Peoples Party. They rewarded it for abandoning its longstanding support of military intervention in politics but instead emphasizing economic issues and democratic values.
Voters also elected several pro-Kurdish MPs. That should spur Erdogan to grant full official recognition of Kurdish identity, something he has been inching towards ever so slowly.
His ruling AKP party has been described as Islamic or Islamist, whatever that means. It is a Muslim version of Europes Christian Democratic parties. Its leaders and its membership tend to be observant Muslims, whose piety should not be equated with fundamentalism, let alone radicalism or militancy.
Catering to this mostly merchant class base, the Erdogan government has been fiscally conservative and strongly pro-business. Turkey did suffer a recession because of the 2008 world economic crisis, but pulled out of it quickly and without any bailouts for the private sector. It did on the strength of strong domestic consumption by a burgeoning middle class and by moving Turkeys trade away from Europe to the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa.
Turkeys economy is now the 16th largest in the world and the sixth in Europe.
What Erdogan needs to be faulted for is his intolerance of criticism. He routinely sues for alleged libel. As many as 57 journalists have been jailed, many charged with involvement in a long-running case to overthrow democracy. Its difficult to know whether they were hauled in for their writings or for anti-democratic activities. But, worryingly, none has been convicted.
And when the British magazine The Economist criticized him last week, the prime minister said: The international media, because they are backed by Israel, wouldnt be happy with the continuation of the AK Party government.
Whether its election rhetoric or his tendency towards populist hyperbole, the prime minister will have to learn to respect the democracy that he has helped usher in.
Turkey is no longer the country the West once knew, said the European Council on Foreign Relations in a recent report. NATOs only Muslim member has changed for the better worthy of being befriended and encouraged.
Haroon Siddiqui is the Stars editorial page editor emeritus. His column appears on Thursday and Sunday. hsiddiqui@thestar.ca
Erdogan
He is now the countrys most successful democratic leader ever. In leading Turkey away from its authoritarian and military-dominated past, he has made it the model for democracy-hungry Arabs, to whom he has lent strong support, including taking in 4,000 Syrians fleeing Bashar al-Assads butchery.
Another miracle is Turkeys economy. At 9 per cent, its growth is second only to Chinas and higher than Indias. Its $1 trillion economy is now not too far behind Canadas.
The third miracle is Turkeys emergence as a strong regional power. Its relations with the United States and Israel may be more strained since Erdogans election in 2002, but Erdogans independent foreign policy of zero problems with neighbours has normalized relations and increased trade with neighbours in the Balkans, the Middle East and the Black Sea basin.
The fourth miracle still in the making is that instead of Europe resisting Turkeys entry into the European Union, it is Turkey that may no longer want the membership.
While the government officially remains committed to E.U., the Turkish people are losing enthusiasm for a continent thats in economic doldrums, suffering an identity crisis and becoming Islamophobic.
Cumulatively, these developments represent a remarkable peaceful, democratic transformation of a nation that just 10 years ago was an economic basket case and where the military routinely toppled the governments it didnt like.
Erdogan now becomes the longest-serving Turkish leader since Kemal Ataturk, the founder of secular Turkey after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the 1920s.
With almost all votes counted last night, Erdogan did not get the two-thirds majority of seats that he coveted to unilaterally rewrite the 1972 military-drafted constitution.
With his majority, he still can. He would only need to consult the opposition and hold a referendum. Thatd be good for democracy, as would be the changes he proposes to the constitution, a deeply flawed document designed to protect the entrenched interests of the military and its partner in authoritarianism, the judiciary.
Both institutions have long resisted democratization, by cleverly posing as protectors of Turkeys secularism. But its not secularism as you and I understand it, but rather authoritarian, anti-religious, anti-democratic and anti-European, anchored in a dangerous nationalism inimical to minorities, such as the autonomy-seeking Kurds.
Its telling that the voters strengthened the main opposition, the secular Republican Peoples Party. They rewarded it for abandoning its longstanding support of military intervention in politics but instead emphasizing economic issues and democratic values.
Voters also elected several pro-Kurdish MPs. That should spur Erdogan to grant full official recognition of Kurdish identity, something he has been inching towards ever so slowly.
His ruling AKP party has been described as Islamic or Islamist, whatever that means. It is a Muslim version of Europes Christian Democratic parties. Its leaders and its membership tend to be observant Muslims, whose piety should not be equated with fundamentalism, let alone radicalism or militancy.
Catering to this mostly merchant class base, the Erdogan government has been fiscally conservative and strongly pro-business. Turkey did suffer a recession because of the 2008 world economic crisis, but pulled out of it quickly and without any bailouts for the private sector. It did on the strength of strong domestic consumption by a burgeoning middle class and by moving Turkeys trade away from Europe to the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa.
Turkeys economy is now the 16th largest in the world and the sixth in Europe.
What Erdogan needs to be faulted for is his intolerance of criticism. He routinely sues for alleged libel. As many as 57 journalists have been jailed, many charged with involvement in a long-running case to overthrow democracy. Its difficult to know whether they were hauled in for their writings or for anti-democratic activities. But, worryingly, none has been convicted.
And when the British magazine The Economist criticized him last week, the prime minister said: The international media, because they are backed by Israel, wouldnt be happy with the continuation of the AK Party government.
Whether its election rhetoric or his tendency towards populist hyperbole, the prime minister will have to learn to respect the democracy that he has helped usher in.
Turkey is no longer the country the West once knew, said the European Council on Foreign Relations in a recent report. NATOs only Muslim member has changed for the better worthy of being befriended and encouraged.
Haroon Siddiqui is the Stars editorial page editor emeritus. His column appears on Thursday and Sunday. hsiddiqui@thestar.ca
Erdogan
