Nowadays, all eyes are fixed on the relations between Turkey and the United States. Against the backdrop of tensions, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) celebrated its 17th birthday at an event hosted by the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) on Tuesday.

The ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) policies and experiences from past to present will be discussed in a conference organized by the Political, Economic and Social Research Foundation (SETA) on Aug. 14, the 17th anniversary of the party's founding.

President Erdoğan's election campaign focuses on new rational reforms ranging from economic growth to multidimensional foreign policy, draining momentum away from his opponents

During the four-year interlude that elapsed from Feb. 28, 1997 to 2001, fiscal discipline and financial prudence were completely lost, thereby preparing the groundwork for the gravest financial crisis in the country's history

The AK Party's insistence for dynamism and change will help refresh itself in the new period under the leadership of Erdoğan

In recent years, Mr. Erdoğan has included the common themes of conservatism, nationalism and Islamism, the main pillars of Turkish politics, in his discourse and policies to the best of his ability and under the prevailing conditions.

Turkey will continue to resist speculative attacks orchestrated by domestic and international investors with an optimal mixture of prudent governance and counter-speculative moves made by key market players

It is clear that Turkey needs a new central banking framework. Current policies under inflation targeting do not respond to Turkey’s needs.

Turkey's current central banking framework was structured in the aftermath of the twin crises in 2000-2001 and reflects the exclusive priority to maintain price stability and control inflation.

The reason behind the Feb. 28 post-modern coup, which was an outcome of the past military tutelage of politics, was economic

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a Turkish world from the “Adriatic Sea to the Chinese Wall” became a new topic of discussion in Turkish policy circles. While Turkey tried to develop close political, economic and cultural relations with the newly independent Central Asian Republics, the mid and late 1990s witnessed a steady decline in the relations and failed to produce any concrete results. With its new foreign policy outlook, Turkey is seeking to increase its field of sphere in Central Asia by revitalizing its efforts to reconnect with the sister Turkish states. Security, economic cooperation, energy and civil society initiatives are the new dynamics of the Turkish-Central Asian relations.

In the parliamentary elections of July 22, 2007, AKP (Justice and Development Party) won 47% of the votes, obtaining a very strong mandate to take issue with Turkey’s outstanding problems. In the predominantly Kurdish east and southeast region, the AKP doubled its vote from 26% to 53%. The AKP seemed to have persuaded the Kurds thanks to the party’s earlier moves to solve the Kurdish problem by granting more rights and freedoms as well as jobs and economic prosperity. Having started the negotiation process with the EU and obtaining such a strong mandate from the Kurdish voters, why did the AKP turn its back to the Kurdish issue?  This can be explained with reference to three groups of factors working at the domestic, the EU and international levels.

According to Louise Arbour, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, bigotry and prejudice against Muslims is increasing in Europe. Arbour made a call to all governments to take action against racism and discrimination towards Muslim communities. Arbour’s remarks are based on a recent study by Doudou Diene of Senegal.

There is no doubt that the presence of Muslims in many European countries has changed the demographic and religious landscape of the West.

Avrupa tarihi "öteki" ile yaşam tecrübesi konusunda sorunlarla doludur. Farklı dil, din ve ırklarla ortak ve birlikte yaşam sürme konusunda Avrupa'nın zengin bir deneyimi olduğu söylenemez. Bu nedenle farklı ve yabancı olanlar, topluma sonradan eklemlenenlere kuşku ile bakıldı. Avrupa tarihi bu açıdan bakıldığında büyük trajedilere de sahne oldu. Örneğin Almanya'da Avrupa'nın "ötekisi" olarak Yahudiler, 20. yüzyılın en büyük soykırımıma maruz kaldı. Avrupa'da zaman zaman nükseden Antisemitizmi önlemek için yasak düzenlemeler getirildi, ancak bu konuda kitlesel bilinç değişikliği yeterli düzeyde olmadığı ve "öteki" ile birlikte yaşama kültürü yeterince içselleştirilemediği için bugün bile antisemitizmin kökenleri kazınamadı.20. yüzyılın ikinci yarısından itibaren Avrupa'nın sosyal, demografik ve dini manzarasını değiştiren yeni gruplar da topluma eklemlenmeye başladı. Renkleri, dilleri ve dinleri farklı olan bu gruplar arasında en görünür ve belirgin olan Müslümanlar, Avrupa'nın yeni "ötekileri" olarak algılanmaya başlandı.

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, many thought the date would mark a turning point in modern history. The common belief was that nothing would be the same again. We had entered a new era of global terror when humanity would unite against this universal evil. Sept. 11 turned out to be a major turning point, but not in the way the secular ideologues and the religious zealots of America had imagined.  

We are currently living in a state of uncertainty under which we are not clear as to whether the expression “Turkey is having an election on July 22” is a mere assertion or a decision. Apparently not every decision to hold elections naturally leads to an election atmosphere.