Projects in Turkey

Turkey became a member of the European Council in 1949 and NATO in 1952. Its application for EEC-membership in 1963 was not accepted. Instead, a treaty of association was signed. In 1987, Turkey applied for full EC-membership but once again it was met with ambivalence. However, in 1995, Turkey joined the EC customs union.

Public debate in Turkey revolves around the membership negotiations with the EU and the reforms that such a membership necessitates. Cyprus and freedom of opinion are two issues that disturb Turkey’s relations with Europe. The government has failed to maintain the rate of reform. Tensions with the Kurds have increased.

There is a great need for upholding a constructive and continuous dialogue with the Turkish parties. Were the dialogue with the West to cease, it is likely that Turkey would seek closer cooperation with its authoritarian neighbors. Successful integration of Turkey with Europe and the ensuing reforms would serve as an example for other countries.

The Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation has a long history of cooperation with the Justice and Development Party/Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi (AK Party) – which is a conservative democratic party with its roots in Islam. The AK Party has formed the government since 2002. The Foundation also cooperates with the Association for Liberal Thinking, ALT, which is a political think-thank that aims to encourage the growth and development of liberal democracy in Turkey. In cooperation, regular conferences on ideology are held in different parts of Turkey, based on Nigel Ashford’s book Principles for a Free Society.

The democratic development is not unthreatened. Attempts at easing the strict Turkish laws that govern religion – by letting women wear head scarves at the university – have been branded, by the opposition, as Islamification of society. In 2008, the Prosecutor-General had the constitutional court try the ruling party. International observers termed this an attempted coup d’état by means of law. In the end, the AK Party was acquitted, although it lost half of its economic support. The legal process against the AK Party and the presidential election of 2007 meant that attention was given mainly to domestic issues. International policy, such as the admission into the EU, was neglected, but is currently growing in importance.

Women are underrepresented in political life. There is implicit as well as explicit resistance to politically active females. Furthermore, existing organizational structures obstruct women from making their voices heard. Tradition, religion and culture are three factors in Turkish society that hamper female participation in politics. Similar problems also discourage the young from partaking in political life.

The overarching goal of the Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation in Turkey is to intensify the dialogue with centre-right parties and to contribute to knowledge transfer concerning the reform process precipitated by the EU-membership negotiations. A vital part of this work is to create a forum for discussion for a high-level dialogue within the centre-right movement. Another important aspect of the Foundation’s work in Turkey is activities aimed at women and youths.

Read more:

• Mustafa Akyol, Hürriyet Daily News, writes about Turkey’s and AKP’s ideology and its challenges

Read the column by Mustafa Akyol published February 1, 2012

• Mustafa Akyol, Hürriyet Daily News, writes about Turkey’s legal system.

Read the column by Mustafa Akyol published January 22, 2012

• Mustafa Akyol, Hürriyet Daily News, writes that “the risk for Turkey is illiberal democracy”

Read the article by Mustafa Akyol published Janaury 14, 2012

• Şahin Alpay, Todays Zaman, asks why the AKP Party has been so slow to dismantle Kemalist laws and infrastructures.

Read the column by Şahin Alpay published January 22, 2012 

• Nicole Pope, Todays Zaman, writes a column about “A Turkish puzzle”, claiming that “until not so long ago, a clear democratization trend could be observed in Turkey”.

Read the column by Nicole Pope published January 23, 2012

• Patrick Cockburn, The Independent: “Is Turkey’s economic miracle about to fade away?”  Cockburn is asking if Turkey is to become ”a victim of overconfidence”.

Läs Read the article by Patrick Cockburns published January 22, 2012

• Yavus Baydar, Todays Zaman, is asking if Turkey is coming closer “Towards the final confrontation”. He writes that “we are now closer to witnessing various attempts to reverse all the reform processes with new tricks.”

Läs Read the art Yavus Baydars published january 22, 2012

• Mustafa Akyol: ”Muslims need liberalism, not just democracy”

• David Gardner: “The call to freedom”

• Carl Bildt m.fl: ”The EU and Turkey: steering a safer path through the storms”

• Dan Bilefsky: ”For Turkey, Lure of Tie to Europe Is Fading”