World News and Trends- Turkey
Beyond Today Magazine
Good News Magazine: September - October 2003
Course Content
For more than half a century the United States has enjoyed good diplomatic relations with Turkey.
More often than not over the decades, this strategically located nation has helped the United States deal with various crises overseas. Furthermore, Turkey is the only Islamic country with a respectful, cooperative working relationship with Israel.
Now the Justice and Development Party (known in the Turkish language as AKP) threatens to move the nation in the direction of an Islamic state. AKP played a major role in the parliament's recent passage of laws that, in the words of Daniel Pipes, "dramatically reduc[ed] the political role of the country's armed forces."
Dr. Pipes, a Middle East expert, goes on to explain that "what might seem like bureaucratic wrangling has such potentially profound importance because the Turkish armed forces have long been Turkey's main bastion for political moderation and close relations with the United States and Israel."
Despite official protests that the AKP is not essentially religious and has no desire to impose Islamic law on the country, observers like American journalist Robert Kaplan suggested that this Turkish party could "usher in an Islamic version of the Protestant Reformation."
What are some of the key events that have led us to the present crossroads in Turkish national life? Author Andrew Boyd helps explain: "In some Muslim countries (first and foremost in Turkey; later, notably in Iran) this century saw a movement towards religious toleration and a separation of religious authority from government. Now, in many places, a backlash against this secularism has brought a surge of Muslim fundamentalists; modernizing policies are branded as alien ‘westernizing' ones. A dramatic example was the 1979 revolution in Iran" (An Atlas of World Affairs, 1998, p. 95, emphasis added).
Now, nearly 25 years later, is Turkey about to join Iran as a fundamentalist Islamic nation? And must the European Union (EU) share in the responsibility for the present Turkish plight? Greece, an EU member, has continually quarreled with Turkey over the Mediterranean island of Cyprus and has successfully lobbied against Turkish desires for membership in the EU. In spite of U.S. urging to open its doors to Turkey, the European Union has a habit of delaying Ankara's requests for membership, citing human-rights violations.
These recent developments in Turkey are sobering because the stakes are enormous. Washington's relationship with Ankara was already somewhat strained by the decision of the Turkish parliament to stay out of this year's war in Iraq. If things continue in the present direction, both the United States and Israel may see an important, strategically placed ally become another potential enemy in this crucial region.
(Sources: New York Post, An Atlas of World Affairs, The Sunday Telegraph [London].)
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
