A stitch for Turkey’s fraying ends

After the decision of Turkey’s constitutional court to close down the Islamic AKP party due to allegations of promoting certain virtues in society, analysts and policy-makers have expressed concern about increasing tension in the already politically turbulent country. Political analysts may argue that the move, initiated by certain elements within influential circles of the Turkish state, is meant to maneuver the growth of the AKP. Ever since the establishment of the Turkish Republic, secularism has been a red line in their politics, although today the secular establishment deemed it obligatory to allow the AKP greater representation, compared to thirty to forty years ago where any attempt by Islamists to capture power was foiled and deterred. Due to the developments which have taken place in the past few decades in Turkey and the region, the military, which is the most influential source of the secular establishment, has not been at liberty