Islamic Resurgence in Turkey? An Analysis of Political and Social Elements

Abstract

Myth and hysteria are probably the two most common attributes of western discourse on Islamic fundamentalism. Current discussions in policy circles often depict this 'green menace' as a threat to the stability of regimes friendly to the United States. A recent incarnation of this argument is the suggestion, following apparent unprecedented electoral gains by Islamic fundamentalists in 1991, that Turkey may be the next Iran or Algeria. This thesis debunks the 'fundamentalist threat' argument in Turkey by critically examining the evidence used to support such an argument. A careful examination of the election results in 1991 shows the Islamic fundamentalists actually suffered a decline in electoral support. The thesis concludes that the secular democratic nature of the Turkish republic is not seriously threatened by Islamic fundamentalism, and that the evidence used to suggest such a development does not stand up to critical scrutiny. Islamic fundamentalism, Turkey, Prosperity party.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1993
Accession Number
ADA268867

Entities

People

  • Robert Miranda

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Commerce
  • Economic Models
  • Economic Systems
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Kurds
  • Law
  • Minority Groups
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Political Systems
  • Students
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • Urban Areas

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • International Relations and Conflict Resolution
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Strategic Security Studies