The position of Turgut Ozal and Recep Tayyip Erdogan towards Islam and democracy 1983-2007: an approach study

Abstract

Turkey is constantly endeavoring to establish itself as a key political figure in the region and to position itself among the top ten global economies. The ambitious goals of steering the nation in the present era appear attainable owing to the policies implemented by Turgut Özal during his tenure in the 1980s and 1990s, which sought to stabilize the nation and integrate it into the global arena. Despite the initial concrete achievements, the initiatives undertaken during that period yielded conflicting results, giving rise to economic and political challenges. Subsequently, this led to a resurgence of political unrest following Özal's passing in 1993, plunging the nation back into a series of corruption scandals that led to the downfall of fragile coalition governments in succession. This political upheaval culminated in the military coup of 1997. Paradoxically, the most effective and sustainable consequence of those reforms resulted in the ascent of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to power in 2002 subsequent to their electoral triumph. This ushered in a profound shift in the political terrain. During the initial years of its governance, the AKP actively embraced and expanded Özal's neoliberal reforms, fostering the most conducive environment for both foreign and domestic capital investment. Nonetheless, in the initial decade of the 21st century, Erdoğan and the party leadership gradually distanced themselves from their prior neoliberal tenets.