German Marshall Fund Initiates New Turkey Forum

Here are abstracts to three excellent articles brought to you thanks to a new initiative being taken by the German Marshall Fund.

Turkey After the Verdict: Back to Normal?
Written by Ian Lesser
July 31, 2008
The decision by Turkey's constitutional court to warn and sanction, but not close the Justice and Development Party (AKP), offers an opportunity to Turks and Turkey's international partners. After almost a year of distraction and disarray, Ankara may now be able to focus on the most pressing problems facing the country. Europe and the United States may now be able to treat Turkey as a "normal" country again. Much will depend on whether the court's decision ushers in a period of moderation or renewed polarization, and whether the AKP government uses its renewed freedom of action to think strategically about external policy.

After The Constitutional Court Ruling: Whither Tayyip Erdogan and the AKP?
Written by Amberin Zaman
July 31, 2008
As the dust begins to settle in the aftermath of the constitutional court's surprise decision not to ban the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the most pressing question in the Turkish capital, Ankara, is what impact it will have on the country's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Court Blinks
Written by Soli Ozel
July 31, 2008
Turkey's Constitutional Court decision not to ban the AK Party, in spite of ten members being convinced that they were indeed guilty of some political wrongdoing, means that Turkey's political problems and its struggles for power will now have to be settled in the political realm, by the ballot box and not by extra-political means. In its own peculiar way, Turkey is clearing its own path toward becoming a better democracy and the thorny issue of Turkish secularism will need to be settled through political bargains and processes rather than judicial fiat.

Click here for the GMF site.