The Greater Middle East Initiative and democracy in Muslim states: A Turkish perspective


Yurdusev A.

KOREAN JOURNAL OF DEFENSE ANALYSIS, cilt.18, sa.2, ss.73-94, 2006 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 18 Sayı: 2
  • Basım Tarihi: 2006
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/10163270609464107
  • Dergi Adı: KOREAN JOURNAL OF DEFENSE ANALYSIS
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.73-94
  • Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This article takes issue with the Greater Middle East Initiative launched by the U.S. administration and endorsed by the G-8 leaders at the Sea Island Summit, June 2004. It also discusses the problem of democracy and modernity in Muslim societies. The article argues that the U.S. initiative came short of meeting the requirements Of promoting democracy in Muslim countries as it lacks a "carrot and stick" approach in respect of the existing regimes. Then, it disagrees with the prevalent views in the West on the incompatibility of Islam with democracy and Muslims being in fierce opposition to modernity. After presenting practical examples showing that Islam is conducive to democracy, the article concludes by emphasizing the need for dialogue with the Muslim masses.