Insight Turkey / issues

Editor's Note | Winter 2013

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 15:59:00 GMT

Two years ago the Arab Middle East was shaken by popular uprisings. The events have resulted either in regime change or reforms in some countries, and oppression and violence in others. At the outset the uprisings, which stretched from Tunisia to Libya, Egypt, Yemen and Syria, were hailed as the beginning of a new era in which people power will reign in the Middle East.

Current Developments in Regional Energy Security and Turkey

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 13:00:00 GMT

With increasing energy consumption from emerging economies, there will be a growing need for new fossil fuel resources and transportation routes, despite the growth in renewable in recent years. Turkey, as a fast growing economy, will likewise require more access to fossil fuel resources to meet its increasing demand for energy. Given Turkey’s location, oil and gas from the Caspian region will become very important, and could also allow Turkey to become an energy transit country and energy hub for deliveries to Europe, thereby increasing its international influence.

From Damascus to Kabul: Any Common Ground between Turkey and Russia?

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 13:20:00 GMT

Over the past two decades Turkey and Russia have managed to normalize their bilateral relationship. Trade is flourishing, and human contacts are multiplying. Turkey and Russia also share a vast neighborhood, over which the Ottoman and the Romanov empires used to fight in the past. Now, the region from the Black Sea to the Hindu Kush features a number of active and potential conflicts. Could the happier relationship between Ankara and Moscow form the basis for their cooperation on regional issues or would the difference of interests turn them into rivals again?

New Egypt versus the Felool: Struggle for Democracy

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 13:50:00 GMT

What happened in Egypt? The Egyptian regime moved to the offensive prior to the presidential elections, and the military and the judiciary did everything in their power to prevent Mohamed Morsi from becoming president and curtailed his powers and dissolved the parliament. Morsi, however, issued a decree granting himself broad powers and used his new authority to order the retrial of Mubarak. Egypt will continue to struggle between painful democratization and tutelage regime.

After the Constitution, a New Battle in Egypt

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 16:10:00 GMT

The approval of the new, controversial Egyptian constitution does not end the transition process that started with the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. Rather, it moves the struggle for power between the country’s new Islamist elite and the secularists that have ruled Egypt for decades into a new phase. New parliamentary elections will take place in the next two months. If secular parties obtain creditable results, even short of winning the majority, there is still hope that the transition will eventually lead to a democratic outcome. If secular parties suffer a resounding defeat, as they did in early 2012, the battle will probably move to the streets, with unpredictable results.

Northern Iraq’s Oil Chessboard: Energy, Politics and Power

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 13:10:00 GMT

The autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq has emerged in recent years as a potentially significant supplier of oil and gas. This makes it of economic and strategic interest to Turkey in particular. However, its geography and a continuing dispute between the Kurdish region and the central government in Baghdad have so far prevented the construction of oil and gas export pipelines. This leads to a complicated three-way balancing act between Turkey, Iraq’s Kurdish region, and Baghdad.

The New Egyptian Constitution: An Outcome of a Complex Political Process

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 13:30:00 GMT

Although constitutions are intended to represent and confirm the spirit of coexistence between classes, sects and various components of society, the campaign and the referendum revealed an entirely different picture. Further complicating the political arena, the referendum effectively caused strife among revolutionary compatriots and opposition forces and engendered a state of polarization across Egyptian society. This turbulent situation requires Egyptians to rapidly initiate genuine nationwide dialogue to deal with the demands and aspirations of different parties and to develop an agenda to achieve the revolutionary goals: bread, freedom, and human dignity.

The Southern Gas Corridor and Turkey’s Role as an Energy Transit State and Energy Hub

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 14:10:00 GMT

With decisions about to be made on major pipeline projects, Turkey could become a vital component of the so-called southern gas corridor. Turkey is aiming to become a significant gas transit state and key energy hub. However, in spite of separate transit deals for Nabucco and the Trans-Anatolian pipeline projects, Ankara has still to establish a proper gas transit regime. Geopolitical tensions and the possible increased risk of attacks on infrastructure could threaten Ankara’s ambitions. But energy dependence on Russia will probably not thwart Turkey’s plans as Turkish officials seek to facilitate the transportation of gas from northern Iraq and Turkmenistan, as well as from Azerbaijan, to the European market.

The Arab Uprisings Two Years On: Ideology, Sectarianism and the Changing Balance of Power in the Middle East

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 17:26:00 GMT

This paper traces the changes to the domestic politics of Arab states following the 2011 uprisings and places them in a continuum depending on the degree of internal conflict and contestation they have engendered. It also outlines the uprisings’ effects on the three strands of Islamism-radical, Salafi and moderate-across the Middle East. The paper’s main purpose is to assess the uprisings’ impact on the confrontation between the Iranian-led and pro-Western camps. It argues that ideological and sectarian considerations in the post-2011 Middle East subtly interact with but tend to be trumped by the realpolitik calculations of the various players, which are defined by regime and state interests.

Fishing for Gas and More in Cypriot Waters

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 14:00:00 GMT

Cyprus has been hit hard by economic misfortunes recently, but now has a big opportunity to develop significant offshore gas resources. However, its chances of proceeding with this project are currently prejudiced by political tensions surrounding its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). This is because Turkey is sharply contesting the right of Cyprus to go ahead, albeit for reasons maybe more connected to the stalled peace process for reunifying the island than matters of international maritime law. Turkey is now in an awkward diplomatic position, opposing a remarkable alignment of interests of the EU, US, Israel, Cyprus and Russia, all supporting Cyprus’s rights to its EEZ. Surely this relatively benign Cyprus gas question should be sorted out without delay, with Turkey signalling the possibility of some recalibration of its position.

Understanding the AK Party’s Identity Politics: A Civilizational Discourse and its Limitations

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 14:40:00 GMT

The AK Party seeks to respond to four challenges stemming from three confrontations (Islamism, Kemalism, and regional balance of power) that are intertwined and intensely interactive: The potential radicalization of Islamist movements through new sectarian polarization, the extension of the Kurdish Question regionally and internationally, the struggle for greater influence among regional powers, and the repercussions of Israel’s aggressive policies. The discourse of civilization that Prime Minister Erdogan frequently and recently employs reflects a quest to invent a new political language and an overarching shared identity regarding the future of both Turkey and the Middle East.

The “Ends” of Islamism: Rethinking the Meaning of Islam and the Political

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 14:30:00 GMT

There have been almost regular attempts to declare the “end of Islamism” or “the end of political Islam.” Since the late 1980s, many observers have been quick to pronounce the end of Islamism with every new political development concerning the Muslim world. In countries where authoritarian regimes repressed the Islamists with massive bloody operations, it was claimed that Islamism was ending. However, it was rather the Islamists’ defeat by oppressive means as opposed to an end. In a way, proponents of the “end” discourses welcomed the dictators’ supremacy over the Islamists. Thus the celebration of the “end of Islamism” represented an acknowledgement of authoritarian, anti-democratic regimes in the Islamic world.

European Views of Turkish Foreign Policy

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 14:20:00 GMT

This article examines how the European elite views new parameters of Turkey’s increasing activism in the Middle East with special emphasis on county’s role in the Middle East in the context of claims of shift of axis on ideological grounds and Turkey’s relations with the EU, Iran and Israel. It is demonstrated the emerging European perception among policy analysts and scholars regarding Turkish foreign policy is generally positive, and recent changes do not mean a shift in country’s foreign policy orientation. Turkey is still perceived to be part of the Western alliance, but it is now seen more confident in taking initiatives and more eager to develop a regional approach.

Scramble for the Past: A Study of Archaeology in the Ottoman

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 12:01:00 GMT

Although very different in terms of subject matter, all three books reviewed here offer fascinating insights into the ways writers over time have employed a variety of strategies in an attempt to emphasize the superiority of the western way of life over others.

Turkey in the 21st Century: Quest for a New Foreign Policy

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 18:22:00 GMT

Turkey in the 21st Century: Quest for a New Foreign Policy is a welcome addition to the fast-growing literature in English on Turkish foreign policy. Edited by Professor Özden Oktav from Yildiz University and including chapters written by several young and upcoming scholars from Turkish universities, the book is a testament to the increasingly lively discussion surrounding the country’s foreign policy.

Daring and Caution in Turkish Strategic Culture: Republic at Sea

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 18:27:00 GMT

The book Daring and Caution in Turkish Strategic Culture: Republic at Sea is a valuable source of information on Turkish foreign and security policy both for students of international relations and scholars who are interested in this topic. It gives insight into the most important milestones and political figures in Turkish foreign and security policy, starting from the last decades of the Ottoman Empire until the very recent years of the Turkish Republic.

Hamidian Palestine: Politics and Society in the District of Jerusalem

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 11:41:00 GMT

This scholarly and well-written book treats the history of late Ottoman Palestine not as a prologue to the present political question as usual, but as a subject in its own right. To avoid teleology, Johann Büssow does not tell the story of homogeneous national societies, but reconstructs Palestine as a social space for different sorts of interactions between individual people and groups. This sort of polyphonic history writing enables the reader to confront a multitude of voices, in contrast to the accustomed dual society model of “Jews versus Arabs” which ignores diversity to try to uncover the historical roots of the present conflict.

From Empire to Empire: Jerusalem between Ottoman and British Rule

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 18:14:00 GMT

Histories of Jerusalem are usually concerned with the holy places, the various communities living in the city, or the crusader and ancient pasts. Abigail Jacobson in From Empire to Empire instead focuses on Jerusalem as an urban space and how it was affected by World War One. From Empire to Empire is a groundbreaking work as Jacobson successfully bridges the Ottoman and post-Ottoman eras, which had been previously treated as separate periods. In previous narratives the transitional period has often, if not always, been neglected. Only recently have a few scholars begun to examine this forgotten period, highlighting how the understanding of this transitional moment is instrumental in the reassessment of the late Ottoman rule of Palestine and of early British rule.

Britain and the Muslim World: Historical Perspectives

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 18:28:00 GMT

This book shows how much opportunity the field of Anglo-Islamic studies still offers future scholars. Based on papers that were presented at a wonderful three-day conference held at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter in April 2009, this collection brings together a wide range of topics. The papers are organized chronologically, and, like all collections produced after conferences, vary in approach, originality and scope. Given Britain’s extensive historical, cultural, commercial, and religious interactions with various parts of the Islamic world, from the early modern period until today, the essays point in different directions, from an interesting discussion of Lady Wortley Montagu’s son (by Bernadette Andrea) to the manner in which Muslims are portrayed on British television (by Peter Morey whose discussion has now morphed into a full-length book with Amina Yaqin, Framing Muslims) and the role that Muslim women play in today’s Cardiff, a city taken as a case study (by Marta Warat) to the BBC’s biased coverage of the Middle East (by Tim Llewellyn, whose book, Spirit of the Phoenix, was released in 2010).

Intellectuals and Civil Society in the Middle East: Liberalism Modernity and Political Discourse

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 11:45:00 GMT

Intellectuals and Civil Society in the Middle East is a comprehensive and wide-ranging analysis of the social role of intellectuals in the Middle East, examining the nature of their intellectual activity and their role in politics and society. It provides deep, insightful, profound and perceptive discussions on the role and impact of thinkers and intellectuals in public life, and upon the social, political, and cultural spheres in the Middle East.

Building States and Markets, Enterprise Development in Central Asia

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 11:47:00 GMT

Gül Berna Özcan’s Building States and Markets: Enterprise Development in Central Asia is a welcome addition to the literature as it fills a gap in our understanding of how new enterprises are developing in Central Asia. Surprisingly little work has emerged on the development of new classes in post-Soviet settings and Özcan’s work tackles one aspect here in her focus on the development of the new entrepreneurs. The book is filled with richly detailed case studies which, as well as providing qualitative data to the quantitative surveys undertaken, convey well the diversity of the experiences and the complexities of the formation of this new social group.

Thinking International Relations Differently

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 11:51:00 GMT

In the last several years, there has been an increasing interest in non-western international relations (IR) theory and expanding the scope of “western” IR theory. This debate is very much alive in China and India and, to a lesser extent, in Russia. Nevertheless, what is interesting is that this debate is gaining more momentum in the west and among western academics. Several years ago, Arlene B. Tickner and Ole Wæver started a project titled “Worlding beyond the West” that aimed at generating debate about non-western IR theory and bringing it into the academic spotlight. Thinking International Relations Differently is the second book of this project.

Religions of the Silk Road: Premodern Patterns of Globalization

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 11:53:00 GMT

Introducing his readers to an overview of the history of “the network of roads” (p. 1) that has been called the Silk Road (p. 1), the author Richard Foltz sketches the geographical and ecological conditions for human culture, travelling and trade in the area from today’s Hungary in the west to China in the east. The Silk Road refers to a route, important for trading such goods as silk, satin, spices, medicines, jewels and slaves, which went from Europe through Egypt, Somalia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, India, and finally to China. It was given the name “Silk Road” by Ferdinand von Richthofen in the 19th century. This book focuses on the Silk Road from around 1,000 years BCE until the 16th century.