What are the implications of a non-secular Turkey?

[Tajir]

The recent quran-burning sessions and all the buzz around 911 and the middle east has me wondering about the results of a further polarizing Muslim world.

After seeing that Turkey's leaders won a referendum against the secular military for more space to rule, something along those lines at least.

What are the implications of a non-secular, Islamist (assuming also anti-Western) Turkey for the region and the world as a whole? I can't really paint an image in my head because we haven't seen anything different from the secular status quo in modern Turkey so I'm wondering what you all thought about this. Would it be a quiet Muslim state like Malaysia or Indonesia or would it be a boisterous one like Iran?

[white-wolf]

Neo Ottoman Empire ?

[Armenum]

Well what you're implying is the implication of a non-secular Turkish government. I believe Turkey would not be where it is now if it had a non-secular government which combined religion and the state. It would be more aligned with countries in the middle east and probably would be a heavy anti-West/Israel advocate. So we should be happy that Turkey has taken/maintain the secular route,hopefully, they can be a model for other Muslim countries that still lack such secularism and thus fall behind.

[Vizsla]

On present evidence Islam doesn’t seem to be a major factor. Certainly Turkey is taking a more proactive role in the Middle East than it used to.
This is because with the end of the cold war most of Turkey’s security problems are now directly on its borders.
A fragmenting Iraq is a Kurdish separatist issue for Turkey. This explains why the Turkish parliament refused access for a northern US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Iran borders Turkey and nuclear armed it would be a loose cannon. The joint Brazilian / Turkish deal with Iran was a bid not just to gain influence but also to stop things getting out of hand.
The Israeli / Palestinian angle is interesting. There seems to have been a major shift in opinion following the 2008 Israeli attack on Gaza. This is a feeling shared by many western liberals so it is not just an Islamic issue. Possibly Erdogan has taken it personally because Olmert did not mention what was going to happen when he was in Turkey immediately prior to the offensive.
Hopefully Turkey wants peace and stability on its borders more than it wants to blindly support the Palestinian Muslim brothers no matter what the cost. I really hope so.

[Armenum]

On present evidence Islam doesn’t seem to be a major factor. Certainly Turkey is taking a more proactive role in the Middle East than it used to.
This is because with the end of the cold war most of Turkey’s security problems are now directly on its borders.
A fragmenting Iraq is a Kurdish separatist issue for Turkey. This explains why the Turkish parliament refused access for a northern US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Iran borders Turkey and nuclear armed it would be a loose cannon. The joint Brazilian / Turkish deal with Iran was a bid not just to gain influence but also to stop things getting out of hand.
The Israeli / Palestinian angle is interesting. There seems to have been a major shift in opinion following the 2008 Israeli attack on Gaza. This is a feeling shared by many western liberals so it is not just an Islamic issue. Possibly Erdogan has taken it personally because Olmert did not mention what was going to happen when he was in Turkey immediately prior to the offensive.
Hopefully Turkey wants peace and stability on its borders more than it wants to blindly support the Palestinian Muslim brothers no matter what the cost. I really hope so.

The reason that Turkey has been playing a bigger role in middle eastern politics is because 1) they realize the influence that they can garner in this volatile region 2) they are angry with the slow response of the EU to Turkish relations, and the fact that many people in the EU don't want Turkey to play a bigger role in European sphere of politics.

I guess they also want to show the world that they can lead their own, independent foreign policy. I believe given the location, economic power of Turkey it's natural they'll want to play a bigger role in Middle East politics.

[Vizsla]

The EU isn’t slow. It’s glacial.
The decision not to let Turkey in was taken a long time ago. Now they are just looking for a media friendly, publicly acceptable reason.
If I was Turkish I’d want to give the EU the finger too. Economically Turkey is in a much healthier position than most of Europe. If they can negotiate a trade deal they really don’t need to have anything else to do with the EU.
Like stocks and shares the value of influence is only realised when you trade it in for something. Turkey is gaining influence to use it in achieving its policy objectives.

[Heavy Weapons Guy]

Neo Ottoman Empire ?

Neo-Ottoman Empire would be the best thing to happen!

[Koelkastmagneet]

Not sure without any specifics. The United Kingdom for one, is not quite secular, but still quite a functional and well-developed nation. An Islamist anti-western Turkey? Pretty much another Iran.

It doesn't really help that the EU is continental drift slow about admission.

Neo-Ottoman Empire would be the best thing to happen!

For whom?

[Tiberios]

I guess it could be like Iran. Or more moderate. Hard to tell

For whom?

Ottoman fanboys.

[Babur]

Neo Ottoman Empire ?

And Turks have already conquered Vienna from within

and this will happen too :

Didnt know that Janissaries had hot asssassin females.

didn't you know?

[Pickle_mole]

How has the EU not done anything with Cyprus? A member nation that has a foriegn army holding half of the member nations land? absolutely ridiculous.

[removeduser_4536284751384]

(assuming also anti-Western)

assuming that includes the EU that's never going to happen

[Col. Tartleton]

Turkey is one of the most strategic locations on earth. It sits between 3 major continents and links two seas. If I was Turkey I'd push harder towards secularism but try to remain separate from the European Union. Instead of casting its lot with the Muslims or the Europeans it would be wiser to play them against one another to improve their own standing. I see Turkey as more what an Islamic State would have been had it not been in the Middle East (geography is the problem, not the religion itself.) Basically Turks are more the highly cultured intellectual Muslims that the Europeans were Jealous of back in the middle ages. As opposed to being the dark age savages in Saudi Arabia. Sorry Saudi's but you crazy.

Turkey would be wise to remain friendly with the west and distance itself from the Middle East, but it shouldn't pretend its Western Europe and try to get into the EU. They'd be smarter trying to establish an autonomous power base of their own. Oh and sneak attack Greece while they're down...

JANISSARIES! ATTACK!

[removeduser_052420]

What are the implications of a non-secular, Islamist (assuming also anti-Western) Turkey for the region and the world as a whole?

One word.

Janissaries.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[RomanSoldier9001]

One word.

Janissaries.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Didnt know that Janissaries had hot asssassin females.

After seeing that Turkey's leaders won a referendum against the secular military for more space to rule, something along those lines at least.

Yes they also won a referedum against military autocrats for more democratical reforms.

Would it be a quiet Muslim state like Malaysia or Indonesia or would it be a boisterous one like Iran?

Looking to 20th Century history of Malasya and Indonesia I woulnt say they are "quiet Muslim States". The whole Islamism "Asian Branch" has more power in Indonesia nowsdays than in Middle East.

[John I Tzimisces]

I don't really get the hysteria (well, maybe not hysteria) over the AKP and Turkey supposedly going to become Islamist or whatever that means.

I think I can see nationalists gaining power over discontent over the image of the AKP, and western support for the referendum, or Islamist factions feeling emboldened by the party, but in the mainstream? ehh...

[roy34543]

I don't really get the hysteria (well, maybe not hysteria) over the AKP and Turkey supposedly going to become Islamist or whatever that means.

I think I can see nationalists gaining power over discontent over the image of the AKP, and western support for the referendum, or Islamist factions feeling emboldened by the party, but in the mainstream? ehh...

I think its more the loss of the status quo. Everyone always knew that Turkey as a whole is a very islamic nation , (as opposed to say, Tehran, which is on the whole a very secular capital for Iran , which is an outright theocracy) with many religous people, but the secular elite have always kept the religous majority in check (you could even say repressed) and now that the secular elite is getting much weaker overall noone really knows what will happen, which scares people. In all likelihood it means reduced relations with western countries. But are the islamist (Which are really, only mildly islamist at worst) forces and influences that bad? I really doubt it.

[cenkiss]

I think its more the loss of the status quo. Everyone always knew that Turkey as a whole is a very islamic nation , (as opposed to say, Tehran, which is on the whole a very secular capital for Iran , which is an outright theocracy) with many religous people, but the secular elite have always kept the religous majority in check (you could even say repressed) and now that the secular elite is getting much weaker overall noone really knows what will happen, which scares people. In all likelihood it means reduced relations with western countries. But are the islamist (Which are really, only mildly islamist at worst) forces and influences that bad? I really doubt it.

How did you come up with 'Turkey is a very islamic nation'?

[white-wolf]

That is Berlin not Vienna.

[Babur]

That is Berlin not Vienna.

which will be the next target