| ID | 080707 |
| Title Proper | Navigating through the Bosphorus |
| Other Title Information | relocating Turkey's European/Western fault line |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Michael, Michalis S |
| Publication | 2008. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Until the end of the twentieth century, Turkey's East-West paradigm found refuge in the ambiguous construct of Eurasia and was entrenched in an authoritative centralised state. With EU candidature and the radical reforms ushered in by the Islamist-based government, the Turkish Republic finds itself at its most critical juncture since its formation in 1923. In reviewinccg Turkey's reform process, the paper exposes the rifts in its dual Western-Anatolian personality, the ineptness of its Eurasia synthesis, the fragility of its special relationship with the United States and the inherent contradictions embedded in Kemalist statism. The paper argues that by seeking to join the EU, Turkey has also-inadvertently-embarked on a collision course with the Kemalist Devlet (state). The paper surveys the (European) fault line that currently divides Turkey, accentuating deep-seated dualisms-some dating to Ottoman times-that have been concealed by the Kemalist state. Finally, the paper argues that success (or failure) of the Euro-Turkish 'project' hinges on Turkey's capacity to reconcile itself with its suppressed historical past and radically reform the inherent contradictions of Kemalism-at the core of which is the military's inherent role as custodians of the Kemalist state. |
| `In' analytical Note | Global Change Peace and Security Vol. 20, No.1; Feb 2008: p71-85 |
| Journal Source | Global Change Peace and Security Vol. 20, No.1; Feb 2008: p71-85 |
| Key Words | Turkey ; East-West ; Europeanisation ; Kemalism ; Islamism ; Kurdish Conflict |