Article Abstract:
Turkey's Welfare Party was forced out of office in 1996, because the Turkish military feared that the party's Islamic precepts threatened the country's traditional secularism. Another weak coalition government has succeeded to power. The main problem threatening the stability of Turkish society is not Islamic fundamentalism in politics, but the lopsided distribution of income. The Welfare Party gained much of its support from the economically disadvantaged. Turkey needs to allow the development of a civil society that will foster democratization and eventual income redistribution.
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Article Abstract:
Issues related to the challenges Turkey faces as it aims to gain a more prominent world position are examined, focusing on expectations facing President Ahment Necdet Sezer. Topics include the need to increase respect for the rule of law; society's hopes for a president that will respond to popular will; and the rights of Turkey's largest minority, the Kurds.
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Article Abstract:
Turkey is in the process of deep change, struggling to combine modernity and globalization with its cultural traditions. The country will face presidential and parliamentary elections in 2007, and evidence shows that the fusion of modern Islam, national pride and secularism can also work to resolve various issues, including Turkey's Kurdish question.
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