Robert Tait* The Guardian
Supporters say Turkey's ruling AKP party's brand of political Islam could be role model for Muslim Brotherhood, but opponents warn of authoritarianism
According to conventional wisdom, Turkey has become the template of our times: a large Muslim-majority country that has moved from military domination to civilian rule in a few years, spearheaded by a popular democratically elected government trumpeting its EU membership ambitions.
If Egypt, in its current flux, is seeking a path to help it navigate the transition from authoritarianism to democracy, the argument runs, then Turkey surely provides it. The once all-powerful Turkish armed forces – which have toppled four civilian governments in the past 50 years – have been cut down to size by the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development party (AKP) as it has sought to transform the national political landscape.
