| ID | 087376 |
| Title Proper | Turkish democracy and political Islam |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Ghanim, David |
| Publication | 2009. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | In a global trend toward democratization,
the Middle East has for many
years proved to be the exception.
Nevertheless, very recently this region
has started to come out of its stubborn
resistance to democratic change, resulting
in the ascendancy of political Islam. In the
dominant authoritarian order, religion tends
to provide the Islamist parties a sort of
protection from the repression of political
regimes. This structural advantage has put
the Islamists in a better position to capitalize
on the recent changes in the region, giving
them the opportunity to emerge as winners
in many recent free elections throughout
the region. This is hardly surprising, since
a heavy legacy of authoritarianism, a lack
of democracy, and the oppression of secular
political forces would surely make this
outcome almost inevitable for any election in
this region. Thus, after the 1992 experience
in Algeria, where authorities canceled a general
election dominated by radical Islamists
and precipitated a bloody civil war, several
Islamist parties have managed to come to
power in the Middle East. This has been the
case in Turkey since 2002, Iraq since 2005
and in the victory of Hamas in the Palestinian
election of 2006. An Islamist party coming
to power in democratic elections is a new
phenomenon that is likely to be replicated. |
| `In' analytical Note | Middle East Policy Vol. 16, No. 1; Spring 2009: p75-84 |
| Journal Source | Middle East Policy Vol. 16, No. 1; Spring 2009: p75-84 |
| Key Words | Democracy ; Turkish Democracy ; Political Islam |