On the AKP victory in Turkey
The National Review, a conservative American publication for those of you who don't know it, says the outcome of Sunday's election in Turkey seems to be on balance 'delightful' news. The editors write:
The AKP’s victory was also deserved. The economy has performed well after years of instability; as a government the AKP carried out a series of sensible reforms; and as a party the AKP championed the interests of a class of provincial (and often Muslim) entrepreneurs who felt excluded from political life. Its victory thus confirms the “broadening” of Turkish democracy that has been gradually happening outside the Kemalist establishment since the death of Turgut Ozal. . .
Some observers, including some National Review Online friends and contributors, fear that Erdogan is mounting a silent coup by quietly appointing Islamists to key legal, educational, and military positions. We don’t dismiss their fears as absurd. But when an Islamic conservative party wins almost half of the popular vote, it is hard to argue that its supporters should be excluded from other branches of government. And the evidence that Erdogan has moved the AKP away from Islamism towards a Muslim version of social conservatism — notably his push for Turkish membership in the European Union — is rather stronger than signs of creeping Islamism. . .
It will need to be carefully managed and skeptically watched to ensure that the legitimate claims of secularism are protected. If it succeeds, however, it would be a useful demonstration to the entire Muslim world that democracy and Islam are not such odd bedfellows.
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