12 June Elections: Towards a New Turkey?

SETA PANEL DISCUSSION    Chair:     Talip Küçükcan, SETA    Panelists:    Taha Özhan, SETA     İhsan Dağı, METU    Mustafa Akyol, Star Newspaper  Tarih: May 26, 2011 Thursday  Saat: 15.00-17.00  Yer: SETA, Ankara

Turkish political landscape has recently born witness to a fundamental change through which political actors as well as domestic and foreign policy options have gone through a significant transformation. The general elections of 22 July 2007 and the constitutional referendum of 12 September 2010 have not only crystallized these changes but also hinted at what the new orientation of the country would look like.

Following the referendum, all political parties have promised a new constitution. The promise of a new constitution by all political parties raises the anticipation that 12 June elections would pave the way to a construction of a ‘new Turkey’.  As a result of these debates on new Turkey, political parties have announced their political and economic targets for 2023, centenary of the Turkish Republic, in their 2011 election programs.

• What do 12 June elections signify for the “new Turkey”?
• What are the positions of the political parties with regard to debates on the “New Turkey?
• What do videotape scandals of MHP and the increasing tension in South Eastern Turkey mean?
• From which perspective do the political parties consider the new constitution?
• What kind of a Parliament can come out of following the elections?

The event will be held at the SETA Foundation on Thursday, May 26, 2010. SETA Director General Taha Özhan, METU Professor İhsan Dağı and STAR Newspaper columnist Mustafa Akyol will discuss the upcoming elections in the light of these questions.

Taha Özhan Taha Özhan completed his BA in the New York Institute of Technology, and received his MA from the New School for Social Research in New York where he continued his PhD studies on political economy. Mr. Ozhan taught at Columbia University (2003) and State University of New York (2004-2005). He has publications in the fields of political economy and international relations, and co-authored Iraq Under Occupation (İşgalin 6. Yılında Irak). He is the author of several research reports, academic papers, book chapters and frequent speaker in international conferences. Mr.Ozhan is the director general of SETA based in Ankara.  

İhsan Dağı

İhsan Dağı graduated from the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences Public Administration department of Gazi University in 1985. He received his MA. degree from Lancaster University in 1989 and his PhD. degree from the same University in 1993. He has been working as professor at the International Relations Faculty of METU since 2004. He is currently working as a columnist at Zaman and Today’s Zaman newspapers and the editor-in-Chief of Insight Turkey. Professor Dağı has written extensively on issues of political Islam, democratization, human rights, Turkish domestic and foreign politics and etc.

Mustafa Akyol

Mustafa Akyol graduated from International Relations and Political Science Department of the Bosphorus (Boğaziçi) University. After receiving his MA in modern Turkish history from the same university he began working as columnist and editor. He has given seminars on issues relating to reli