Publication |
2013.
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Summary/Abstract |
Turkey's Justice and Development Party (AKP), known for its Islamic background, placed itself to the center-right in the political spectrum, and adopted conservative democracy as its new political identity. This study investigates first, what triggers the AKP's strong motivation for conservative democracy; second, what the theoretical foundations and universal validity of this concept are; third, whether and to what extent this concept explains the Turkish reality. It shows that conservative democracy is a cosmetic political image rather than reality within the Turkish context. It also serves as the most elusive and flexible strategy to legitimize the AKP both domestically and internationally.
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