Turkey: Staying Secular Insha'Allah
Turkey is on the rise, economically and politically. Edward Stourton examines the apparent contradiction of its secular constitution and its government's Islamist roots.
Turkey's increased economic and political importance makes it a place which outsiders need to understand.
Since 2002, the nation has been governed by the AKP, a political party with Islamist roots. The AKP's time in power has coincided with improvements in Turkey's economic management, the rise of its international influence and a dramatic decline amongst its citizens of support for sharia law.
Outsiders tend to see Turkey as wrestling with a choice between Islamism and secularism. However the nation seems able to live with - even prosper under - the apparent contradiction of a government with Islamist origins and a secular constitution.
Edward Stourton attempts to unravel the complicated reality of Turkish politics and get beyond the usual Western obsession with whether Turkey's loyalties lie with the West or the Islamic world. He investigates the new elites that are shaping the country's future. Will they help Turkey fulfil its dream of becoming a global power and the West's dream of a model Muslim democracy?
The featured contributors in the programme are:
Firdevs Robinson, an editor and Turkey specialist at the 91热爆 World Service
Ziya Meral, a Turkish academic at Cambridge University
Ceren Coskun, a British-Turkish academic at the London School of Economics
Professor Henri Barkey from the Canegie Endowment for International Peace
Dr Soner Cagaptay from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Professor Binnaz Toprak, a social scientist at Bo臒azi脙i University in Istabul
Producer: Helen Grady.
Last on
More episodes
Libya's Islamic Capitalists
Among Libya's new ruling class there is broad support for one ideology: capitalism.
Broadcasts
- Mon 18 Oct 2010 20:3091热爆 Radio 4
- Sun 24 Oct 2010 21:3091热爆 Radio 4
Featured in...
MINT: The Next Economic Giants
An archive overview of the MINT countries and economic issues.
The Best of Analysis: Global Politics
A collection of programmes exploring political issues from around the world.
The Best of Analysis: Political Islam—Analysis, The Idea of the Caliphate
A selection of the best Analysis programmes exploring political Islam around the world.
Podcast
-
Analysis
Programme examining the ideas and forces which shape public policy in Britain and abroad.