Turkey, the Ultimate Swing-State

For anyone who has been to my late father Mehmet Gokbudak's Turkey, one has probably come across cultural tension. In the Aegean resort town of Kusadasi, one can see topless European women on the beach as Anatolian peasant women enter the sea in full garb- headscarves and all! In the Beyogly section of Istanbul, one can see conservative Muslim families walking past lingerie shops which would put Victoria Secret to shame.

So, this week's constitutional crisis which pits the country's conservative PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan against political rivals determined to keep his foreign minister Abdullah Gul from becoming Turkey's next president. I politically favor the likes of opposition leaders Deniz Baykal and Mehmet Agar who are working diligently to prevent the power grab. Street protests also erupted in Istanbul over the weekend, bringing an estimated 1 million people to the streets to protest. Mustafa Unal, a columnist for the conservative-leaning "Zaman" newspaper was quoted in the BBC: "After so much uproar, the best thing is to let the people have the last word."

Erdogan has said the following: "To interpret Turkey as if it is divided into two camps in murder," Erdogan stated. "Even if our views and lifestyle are different, we are one nation and one Turkey."

All of this sounds rational on the surface, but Erdogan and Gul's wives both wear headscarves, which has been deemed to be as much of a political symbol as it is a cultural one. The Republic of Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was the first to encourage women not to wear headscarves, and that historical significance is the prime reason why women are not allowed to wear head scarves upon entering major universities or the Turkish parliament.

Thus many in Turkey are very frustated. The BCC cited comments from the following residents of Turkey.

Ebru Tutu, a young woman from Istanbul, said: "I don't believe anyone here could have predicted the chaos we're truly in. As always, we stop listening to reason and started behaving emotionally. The main danger in my country is the military, not the protesters or any civilians. the government and the army are locked in a bout of political wrestling."

Onur Cetinkaya, also of Istanbul, added:

"The constitutional court did what it had to do. Whether it seems right or wrong, it was a neccessary decision to cool down relations between the government, the army and the public."

Turkey's last coup was inSeptember of 1980. It resulted in political suppression in both liberal and conservative circles. Many Turkish people welcomed Gen. Kenan Evren's coup (Evren later became president), but in recent years, the horrific nature of the abuses caused by Evren and his cronies has come to light and many in Turkey are not happy that no one has been held accountable for these crimes.

Useful links:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice

http://www.todayszaman.com

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english

http://www.turkishdailynews.com