Suchergebnisse

Popular tensions in the Middle East have erupted into the streets in an unprecedented wave of protests this year. Old regimes have toppled, with others set to follow in their wake. But what type of government will replace them? Few imagine that these former dictatorships will transition rapidly into Western-style secular democracies. At the same time, the people seem little inclined to hand power back to religious parties, as they did in Iran. In this respect, Turkey stands as a compelling compromise. Power in Ankara is exercised by the AK Party, which describes itself as "moderate Islamist", with liberal economic policies and a determination to reduce the influence of the country's once all-powerful army. The Turkish model is not without its drawbacks, however. The AK Party has shown itself to be increasingly authoritarian and ever more determined to impose strict religious standards in public life. While countries emerging from decades of dictatorship could learn much from the Turkish model, it is far from a 'cure-all' remedy. Adapted from the source document.

Discusses survival of a democratic secular state in Turkey despite continuing problems of Kurdish insurgency, increasing involvement of Islamic groups in politics, and influence of the mafia in government and political circles. Summary in English p. 906.

Have we to insert God in the future European Constitution? The members of the European Convention rejected this possibility, after a very hard controversy driven by the Vatican and Christian "party". A reference to the "religious inheritances" was introduced without mentioning Christianity or any other confessions. Did the European Union throw back the principle of secularism so useful to live together the Europeans?

Current political and religious tensions in France threaten national cohesion. The main point is the break of reciprocity link between citizens and public institutions they finance. The systemic analysis at the heart of this work reveals close relations that these institutions maintain among themselves through recent judicial affairs on religious signs in public places. These privileged links are reflected in a common discourse on secularism that substitutes public debate and ignores the institutional guarantees of peace.

The army is a key player in the history of the Turkish nation. The guardian of secular government, it intervened more or less directly in Turkish politics throughout the 20th century. In recent years, however, the balance of power between the civilian and military authorities has been reversed. The electoral victory in 2002 of the A KP, a political party with Islamist roots, triggered a trial of strength which is playing out in the civilians' favor this time. By staking his future on 'deeper democracy', Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been able to challenge the army's long-standing power, privileges and hitherto untouchable legitimacy. The extent and apparent ease of the AKP's takeover has been fascinating to watch, but the Turkish army has naturally not emerged unscathed from the adjustment, which weakens it just when the country is called upon to exercise new international responsibilities. Turkey will not be able to broker stability in the Middle East if it cannot rely on a well organized army given clear duties and controlled by responsible political leaders. Adapted from the source document.

Current political and religious tensions in France threaten national cohesion. The main point is the break of reciprocity link between citizens and public institutions they finance. The systemic analysis at the heart of this work reveals close relations that these institutions maintain among themselves through recent judicial affairs on religious signs in public places. These privileged links are reflected in a common discourse on secularism that substitutes public debate and ignores the institutional guarantees of peace.

Russia has varied interests entwined in the Syrian conflict. The supplying of armaments has easily survived beyond the collapse of the USSR. On the other hand, Moscow has also traditionally defended Christian minorities in the region, while at the same time supporting the Alawite regime of secularism that stands up to Islamist temptations. More broadly, Russia has reinserted itself into the Middle East, while reaffirming its divergence from the West's principle of non-interference. (Politique étrangère (Paris) / SWP)

Turkey : Democracy or Death, by Semih Vaner
The Turkish political scene is dominated by three central issues : Kurdish separatism, participation by the political branch of Islam in the democratic process, and "affairs" whose disturbing proportions are being revealed by various scandals. To the background of this picture could be added the very marked regional and social disparities. While authoritarian temptations do exist, it also has to be acknowledged that Turkish democracy ― like secularism ― has made considerable progress .

Discusses the split between the orthodox coalition headed by President Netanyahu and those who support the idea of a secular state based on civil law, focusing on its effect on Israel's foreign policy, particularly with regard to the Middle East peace process. Summary in English p. 453.

Since the time of the 2000 elections in Senegal, debates over family rights have been transformed with the consolidation of a Muslim lobby seeking a reform of the family code that would entail the establishment of a code of personal status. Although the debates are highly polarized, they do not question the cohesion of either the various religious communities or Senegalese society. These deliberations have opened the way to a "liberating re-appropriation" of the concept of secularism (laicité), thus settling the colonial heritage and reauthorize the great founding myths of the Republic. (Polit afr/DÜI)

Turkey has undergone serious crises in the course of this year. They seemed to indicate that the country was still far from being EU-compatible. Yet, these crises should probably rather be seen as reactions to the fragile metamorphosis of the country under Prime Minister Erdogan's leadership. AK Party successfully opposed, during the electoral campaign, its pragmatic agenda to the identity- & secularism-indexed approach of the Kemalist establishment. Yet, many question marks remain, the least important not being the one about the scope of AKP's change itself & about its ability to become a traditional center-right party. Adapted from the source document.

In the young Turkish Republic which has rather adopted the French system of laicism as a model instead of the English secularism it is now necessary to evaluate the evolution of each of these systems. At the time of the centenary of the French laicism and the law of 2004, covering the ostentatious display of religious symbols at schools, the author looks into the history of laicism and its application in France so as to make it more understandable but also to criticise the system. He further analyses whether this system can be adapted to the Turkish Republic which is preparing to become a Member of the European Union.

Mohamed VI, leader of the believers coming to the rescue of secularism ? Examining the similarities between the Moroccan reform of the Moudawana and the French law on headscarves is not without its merits. They are both attempts at warning shots : to show, on one hand, Moroccan Islamists that a new king has taken the reigns and that the Islam of the happy medium must be maintained and broadened, and, on the other, to show in France that the gradual erosion of the dominant way of life will not be tolerated. But these two barriers will only hold if modernist thinkers and debaters are put to the forefront, and only if the social separations cease to grow deeper.