The main theme of the meeting related to Turkey's need to design a unique type of presidential system in light of its own democratic progress.

The spring issue of Insight Turkey invites individual paper contributions that address Turkey's energy security relations within the changing dynamics of regional security system.

As an emerging power from the Middle East and North Africa, Turkey must be more visible in Latin America and we very likely will be.

Opposition parties vehemently objected to the proposal of a presidential system, arguing that it will lead Turkey to an authoritarian, one-man regime. But upon close inspection, it can be seen that a presidential system is not necessarily authoritarian or undemocratic.

Simply being anti-Recep Tayyip Erdoğan cannot account for the toxic blend of anger and disempowerment that those who expect so-called social explosions, such as the Gezi Park protests, in the new year.

The business elite in TÜSİAD circles never saw the AK Party governments as a natural partner with whom they could forge a long-term and strategic developmental alliance.

In democratic regimes, how do political parties and leaders with prolonged tenures shelter themselves from the devastating effects of governing?

There is no doubt that addressing the problem of the parallel structure, an organization no state would possibly tolerate, represents an absolute necessity for Turkish democracy.

Turkish economy is still in the process of rehabilitation from the structural damage of politically motivated judicial operations on Dec. 17 and Dec. 25 of last year against the incumbent AK Party government.

As long as the AK Party remains in charge of Turkish foreign policy, the national conversation pertaining to these issues will remain ideologically charged.

Perhaps the best indication of fiscal prudence in the new budget concerns the fact that the budget deficit is projected to decrease to 1.1 percent of the GDP, which represents a brilliant fiscal performance by any measure during a period of global slowdown.

Having successfully overcome internal and external crises in its first decade in power, the AK Party must now prepare for coming challenges while keeping its legacy in mind.

The AK Party's opponents at home (i.e. leftists, secularists, Gülenists and Kurdish radicals) made notable efforts to help Turkey's image at the international level worsen.

It is quite ironic that a supposedly pro-Western opposition seeks to undermine the possibility of Turkey's critical integration into the West.

Political scientists from Turkey and Morocco gathered to analyze the issues that both the region and the two countries face.

The election results indicate that various parties will seek to push the Ennahda Movement out of the government.

The coming months will provide ample opportunity to examine and learn how competing political parties are planning to tackle the seemingly challenging task of higher education reform in Turkey.