Assessing the Turkish Model as a Guide to the Emerging Democracies in the Middle East
Oğuzhan GÖKSEL*
Abstract Since the beginning of the Arab Spring, the so-called ‘Turkish model’ has become a key ingredient of the discourse of democratization in the Middle East. Despite the widespread interest, however, there is a great sense of confusion caused by the subjective use and misinterpreta- tion of the model. The study will point to the weaknesses of the two conventional understandings of the Turkish model and offer a new ap- proach. The study will acknowledge various socio-economic, cultural and political differences between Turkey and Middle Eastern societies and the fact that the full application of the model may not be possible, however, the article will conclude that despite these differences, the Turkish model has a lot to offer in terms of guidance in areas such as the state-religion relations, the role of military, economic development and democracy building.