Turkey’s Journey to Democracy and Freedom

 By Begum Burak

In Turkey, enormous changes have been taking place both in domestic politics and in foreign policy issues. It should be noted that, it is not so hard to observe the positive changes and transformations Turkey has been going through in the last years. Since 2002, Turkey has been ruled by a single-party government (The Justice and Development Party –JDP) which has made a considerable amount of contribution to Turkish democracy via EU reforms and some other policies. On the other hand, it is also obvious that the steps that have been taken are not enough. Turkey has a long way to go for further democratization. In this context, the first and foremost need for Turkey for a more enhanced democracy and a more enlightened society is to have a new civilian constitution.

The Anatomy of Militarism and an Overview of Civil-Military Relations

by Begum Burak

Militarism assumes and promotes the idea that difference involves incompatibility, brings competition and eventually produces mutual destruction. People do not have an inherent need to compete. But military culture encourages them to. Militarism is considered to be a habituated worldview that legitimizes and venerates organized violence as the means of obtaining political goals. Militarism is an ideology as well as a set of institutional arrangements and everyday practices that focuses on the continual mobilization of society to prepare for, support, and fight wars. Militarism blurs the boundaries between what can be defined as military and what can be viewed as part of civilian life.