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Turkey, Islam, and Democracy

Series: Global Ethics Corner
From: Carnegie Council
Length: 00:02:00

Turkey’s democracy has been extolled as a model in the Middle East, but has also been belittled for its creeping authoritarianism. Does Turkey offer hope to those states making a democratic transformation in the Arab world? Or is its system under threat? Read the full description.

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Created and managed by Carnegie Council Ethics Studio and written by Senior Fellow William Vocke, Global Ethics Corner is a weekly 2 minute segment devoted to newsworthy ethical issues.

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Piece Description

Created and managed by Carnegie Council Ethics Studio and written by Senior Fellow William Vocke, Global Ethics Corner is a weekly 2 minute segment devoted to newsworthy ethical issues.

Transcript

Turkey's democracy is sometimes belittled as creeping authoritarianism and it is sometimes extolled as a model.

Turkish democracy is distinctive, has deep secular roots, an Islamic coat, and lively social support. But, there are structural challenges balancing religious, political and personal factors.

The ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party is expected to win a third term in June elections. Ten to 15 years in power is not necessarily anti-democratic, although it can be seen as fertilizing arrogance and abuse.

The current constitution was written by the military and needs revision. However, a dramatically revised constitution favoring the winners is likely, rather than one framed for the whole society: this could result in authoritarianism by structural reform.

Second, the AK Party is mildly Islamist, but its opponents fear a hidden fundamentalist agenda. The opposition concern...
Read the full transcript

Additional Credits

Deborah Carroll- Producer
William Vocke- Writer
Joel Rosenthal – Voice Talent
Julia Kennedy- Content Editor, Producer/Host of Just Business
Robert Smithline- Editor
Terence Hurley- Editor
Ina Pira- Production Assistant

Related Website

www.carnegiecouncil.com