Turkey a bad model for new Arab states

Emerging Arab democracies were warned not to follow the example set by the Turkish political system by the audience at the latest Doha Debates, with 59% of viewers supporting the motion that “This House believes Turkey is a bad model for the new Arab states.”

The debate was held at Bosphorus University, and produced a sustained attack on Ankara’s record on human rights and media freedom.

Award winning journalist and author, Ece Temelkuran, who was recently dismissed from her newspaper for a series of campaign reports, drew huge support from the audience as she referred to an example of the government’s crackdown on critics.

“Arabs should talk to Arabs about which model is best for them,” she said, arguing “they should hear their own voices. Turkey cannot be a model because Arabs already have enough problems.”

Senior Transatlantic Fellow for Middle East, North Africa and the Islamic World at the German Marshall Fund, Hassan Mneimneh said Arabs should learn from other models of good governance around the world.

“Beware of the use of the Turkish model as a cover for the insertion of Islamism into positions of power where the Islamists would be really entrenched in the Arab world,” he warned.

Speaking against the motion were former Turkish diplomat Sinan Ulgen and award-winning Moroccan journalist and co-editor of the news website, lakome.com, Aboubakr Jamai.

Both opponents suggested that while there are problems associated with the Turkish model, it is a work in progress and offers an example to Arab countries in political turmoil.

“This is a workable model for us because I do believe that Islamism can evolve in our countries and because our population relate to this model,” said Jamai.

Ulgen said that for reasons associated to geographic proximity, culture, religion and tradition, the Turkish model should work for the Arab world, particularly in Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt.

More lightheartedly, he also referred to the success of Turkish soap operas in Arab countries, saying “that tells us something about Turkey in the Arab world.”

via Gulf Times – Qatar’s top-selling English daily newspaper – Qatar.