Turkish model

The “Turkish model” refers to the focus on Republic of Turkey as "an example of a modern, moderate Muslim state that works." Turkey has been seen as combining a secular state and constitution, with a government run by a political party or political parties (Justice and Development Party, AKP) with "roots in political Islam". The AKP, led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has ruled Turkey with a large majority in parliament since 2002. During this time Turkey has had good relations with the West, but also cordial ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran and a more pro-Palestinian policy. It has had vigorously contested, "substantially free and fair" elections, a vibrant culture, and has undergone an economic boom, developing a "large and growing middle class."

The term originated in connection with the Arab Spring and the Arab states—Tunisia, Egypt and Libya—that had overthrown dictators in 2011 and begun building new political and economic systems. Turkey's "deeply religious" Sunni Muslim prime minister, Erdogan, was received by "adoring crowds" during a visit to Egypt in September 2011, and Turkey has polled high favorable ratings with many Arab countries. Praise has come from former acting Egyptian president Mohamed Hussein Tantawia, who told reporters after his meeting with Turkey's president Abdullah Gül, “The Turkish experience is the closest experience to the Egyptian people. Turkey is the model to inspire from.”

One observer (Sinan Ülgen) has identified "five chief characteristics" of the model: accommodation of Secularism, Democracy, and Political Islam; a stabilizing role by the military; successful economic liberalization and trade integration; membership in Western multilateral organizations like NATO, the Council of Europe, and the European Court for Human Rights; popular confidence in the country’s institutions inherited from the Ottoman Empire.

Some critics have complained about the treatment of minority Alevi and Kurdish groups, and of some imprisoned journalists. As of March 2013, a "mounting number of Turkish lawyers, politicians, journalists" have been imprisoned, in what journalist Dexter Filkins has called "an increasingly harsh campaign to crush domestic opposition". Among the imprisoned are a constitutional law professor (Ragip Zarakolu), a prize-winning investigative journalist (Ahmet Şık), a noted free-speech activist (Nedim Sener),

Others have noted that Turkey's unique history may mean the model will be of limited use to Egypt or other countries. According to Sebnem Gumuscu the success is based on Islamists accepting the "secular-democratic framework of the Turkish state", and not Islamists' "development of institutional and political structures that accommodated both Islamic and democratic principles." The Economist magazine also finds "many reasons to be cautious about expecting Arabs to follow Turks", such as the long evolution of the democratic Islamism, the relative power and prestige of the secularism, and tolerance for electoral politics of military rulers. Leftist journalist Alp Altınörs, complains that during the Erdogan era of 2002-2012, growth has "been coupled with little social benefit". The main force for economic growth has been foreign capital, but "imperialists" have "effectively plundered the country", transferring the equivalent of $120 billion, to foreign countries. He also contends that unemployment has remained high, labour rights deteriorated, and inequality worsened, and "harsh repression" of journalists, unions, and Kurds, has kept (he states) "10,000 political prisoners" in Turkish prisons.

With the recent public protests against the government, the Turkish model has been contested and put into perspective and thus is currently questionable.

See also

• Economy of Turkey
• Politics of Turkey
• History of the Republic of Turkey#AKP government