Turkey’s Quest for Strengthening its Democratic and Social Model Amidst Difficult Neighbours of the Cold War Years

Yıl 2016, Cilt: 4 Sayı: 8-9, 97 - 111, 30.12.2016

Levent Kırval

Öz

Turkey has been trying to increase its democratic and social standards for quite a long
time. In this endeavour, the gradually constructed fight in the society between secular republicanism
and conservative communitarianism slowed down the country’s pace. This paper argues that this
division in the society has been mostly a consequence of the country’s positioning at the battlefront
during the Cold War years. As a result, Turkey has evolved towards a unique modernisation example,
where the “civilianisation” of the excessively institutionalized modernist state structures (generally
leaning towards authoritarianism) and the “institutionalisation” of the existent Oriental-
Mediterranean-Religious societal solidarity through the rule of law and welfare state policies, have
remained greatly limited. This constructed division in the Turkish society between the modernists
and the traditionalists, the country’s surrounding neighbours’ highly volatile political and economic
situation, and the country’s positioning in the borderline of the global bi-polar politics of the Cold
War years, kept Turkey as a highly security oriented state. Additionally, the lacking/fluctuating
European support (particularly, Europe’s highly hesitant steps with regards to Turkey’s integration
with the EU) has also played a key role in the limited democratic and social transformation of the
country. In this context, this paper will analyse the reasons of the democratic and social welfare
deficit in the country by mainly focusing on the impact of the Cold-War years on its model and the
‘high politics’ manoeuvres of its neighbours (influenced either from the USA and the USSR) during
that period.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Turkey, Democratisation-Civilianisation, Welfare State, Cold-War Neighbours, European Union

Soğuk Savaş Yıllarının Zorlu Komşuları Arasında Türkiye’nin Demokrasisini ve Sosyal Modelini Güçlendirme Serüveni

Öz

Türkiye uzun yıllardır demokratik ve sosyal standartlarını geliştirmeye çalışmaktadır. Bu
süreçte toplumda zaman içinde inşa edilen seküler cumhuriyetçilik ile muhafazakâr cemaatçilik
arasındaki kavga süreci ülkenin hızını oldukça yavaşlatmıştır. Bu makale, toplumdaki bu bölünmenin
özellikle Soğuk Savaş yıllarında ülkenin iki kutup arasındaki kavganın tam ortasında kalması
nedeniyle ortaya çıktığını öne sürmektedir. Bunun sonucu olarak Türkiye, nadir bir modernleşme
örneği şeklinde gelişmiş ve ülkedeki fazlasıyla kurumsallaşmış modernist devlet yapılarının
‘sivilleşmesi’ (çoğunlukla otoritaryanizme kayan) ile mevcut Oryantal-Akdeniz Kültürü-Din
merkezli toplumsal dayanışmanın ‘kurumsallaşması’ oldukça yetersiz kalmıştır. Türk toplumunda
zaman içinde inşa edilen modernistler ve gelenekçiler arasındaki bölünme, ülkenin çevresindeki
komşularının oldukça inişli çıkışlı iktisadi ve siyasi durumları ve ülkenin Soğuk Savaş yıllarının çift
kutuplu küresel politikalarının tam sınırında yer alması, Türkiye’nin çoğunlukla güvenlik politikaları
merkezli bir ülke olarak kalması sonucunu doğurmuştur. Ayrıca, ülkeye verilen oldukça yetersiz ve
sürekli değişken Avrupa desteği (özellikle, Avrupa’nın Türkiye’nin AB üyeliği çerçevesinde oldukça
çekingen kalması) ülkenin kısıtlı demokratik ve sosyal dönüşümünde kilit rol oynamıştır. Bu
çerçevede, bu makale, Türkiye’deki demokrasi ve sosyal devletle ilgili açıklar üzerinde durmakta,
özellikle de söz konusu açıkların ortaya çıkmasında ülkenin Soğuk Savaş yıllarındaki komşularının
‘yüksek siyaset’ manevralarının (çoğunlukla ABD ya da SSCB’den etkilenen) etkisi üzerine
yoğunlaşmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Türkiye, Demokratikleşme-Sivilleşme, Sosyal Devlet, Soğuk Savaş Komşuları, Avrupa Birliği

Kaynakça

• Ahmad, Feroz (1993) The Making of Modern Turkey, London, New York: Routledge.
• Arikan, Harun (2003) Turkey and the EU: An Awkward Candidate for EU Membership?, London: Ashgate Press.
• Aydın, Mustafa (2000) ‘Determinants of Turkish Foreign Policy: Changing Patterns and Conjunctures during the Cold War’, Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 36, No:1, January.
• Berberoglu, Berch. (1982) Turkey in Crisis: From State Capitalism to Neo-colonialism, Lawrence Hill & Co. Eralp, Atilla. (Ed.) (1997) Turkey and Europe, Ankara: Imge Press.
• Esping-Andersen, Gosta (1990) The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism, London: Polity Press.
• Flora, P. and Heidenheimer, A. J. (Eds.) (1990) The Development of Welfare States in Europe, London: Transaction.
• Giddens, Anthony (1998) The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy, Cambridge: Polity Press.
• Grigoriadis, Ioannis N. (2010) ‘Friends No More? The Rise of Anti-American Nationalism in Turkey’, Middle East Journal, Vol. 64, No:1, Winter.
• Göle, Nilufer (1994) ‘Toward an Autonomization of Politics and Civil Society in Turkey’, in Heper, M. and Evin, A. (Eds.) Politics in the Third Turkish Republic, Oxford: Westview Press, 1994.
• Habermas, Jurgen (2001) The Post-National Constellation: Political Essays, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
• Habermas, Jürgen (1991) The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgois Society, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
• Heper, M. (1992) ‘Strong State as a Problem for the Consolidation of Democracy: Turkey and Germany Compared’, in Comparative Political Studies, Volume 25.
• Heper, M. and Evin, A. (Eds.) (1994) Politics in the Third Turkish Republic, Oxford: Westview Press.
• Houston, Christopher (1999) ‘Civilizing Islam, Islamist Civilizing? Turkey’s Islamist Movement and The Problem of Ethnic Difference’, in Thesis Eleven Journal, Volume 96.
• Jones, C. (Ed.) (1993) New Perspectives on the Welfare State in Europe, London: Routledge, 1993.
• Kaloudis, Stergos (2007) ‘Why Europe cannot Ignore Turkey?’,International Journal on World Peace, Vol. 24, No: 2, June.
• Karpat, K. (1964) Society, Economics, and Politics in Contemporary Turkey, World Politics, Volume 17, No 1.
• Kedourie, Sylvia (Ed.) (1996) Turkey: Identity, Democracy, Politics, London: Frank Cass.
• Kleinman, Mark (2002) A European Welfare State?, Hampshire: Palgrave.
• Lee, P and Raban, C. (1988) Welfare Theory and Social Policy, London: Sage.
• Leibfreid, Stephan (1993) ‘Towards a European Welfare State?’ in Jones, C. (Ed.), New Perspectives on the Welfare State in Europe, London: Routledge, 1993.
• Mackenzie, Kenneth (1981) ‘Turkey under the Generals’, Conflict Studies, Volume: 126. Mardin, Serif (1962) Genesis of Young Ottoman Thought, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
• Marshall, T. H. (1950) Citizenship and Social Class, London: Cambridge University Press.
• Meeker, Michael E (1997) ‘The New Muslim Intellectuals in the Republic of Turkey’ in Bozdogan, S. and Kasaba, R. (Eds.) Rethinking Modernity and National Identity in Turkey, University of Washington Press,1997.
• Mumcu, Ugur (1998) Rabıta, İstanbul: Umag Press.
• Nadi, Nadir (1996) Why I am not a Ataturkist?, İstanbul: Cağdaş Press.
• Oğuzlu, Tarık (2011) ‘Turkey and the west: The rise of Turkey-centric westernism’, International Journal, Vol. 66, No: 4, Autumn.
• Öniş, Ziya (2004) Turgut Özal and His Economic Legacy: Turkish Neo-Liberalism in Critical Perspective, Middle Eastern Studies, Volume 40, No 4.
• Özbudun, Ergun (2000) Contemporary Turkish Politics: Challenges to Democratic Consolidation, London: Lynne Rienner Publishers.
• Polanyi, Karl (2001) The Great Transformation, New York: Beacon Press.
• Toprak, Binnaz (1988) ‘The State, Politics, and Religion in Turkey’ in Heper, M and Evin, A. (Eds.), State, Democracy and the Military-Turkey in the 1980s, New York: Walter de Gruyter Press, 1988.
• Ulusoy, Kıvanç (2008) ‘Governing Turkey Towards the European Union’, Society and Economy, Vol. 30, No:2, December.
• Weiker, F. Walter (1973) Political Tutelage and Democracy in Turkey, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1973.
• Yalman, Nur (1973) Some Observations on Secularism in Islam: The Cultural Revolution in Turkey, Daedalus, Volume 102, No:1.
• Yurdusev, Nuri (1997) ‘The Formation of European and Turkish Identites’ in Eralp, Atilla (Ed.), Turkey and Europe, Ankara: Imge Press, 1997.