Brookings Doha Center

Brookings Doha Center Publications

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (R) talks to Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi during a news conference in Ankara September 30, 2012 (REUTERS/Yasin Bulbul/Prime Minister's Press Office/Handout).

Policy Briefing

Muslim Politics Without an "Islamic" State: Can Turkey's Justice and Development Party Be a Model for Arab Islamists?

February 21, 2013, Ahmet T. Kuru

Ahmet T. Kuru explores the relationship between Islamism and secularism in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. Kuru argues that the differences between the Arab and Turkish contexts need not inhibit the adoption of certain aspects of the AKP model. Rather, dividends brought by the AKP’s pragmatism and the party's success in pursuing Muslim politics without seeking an “Islamic” state may yet encourage Arab Islamists to do the same.

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About Brookings Doha Center Publications

The Brookings Doha Center (BDC) publishes four distinct paper series: Analysis Papers, Policy Briefings, Transitions Dialogue Papers, and Brookings Doha Center-Stanford "Project on Arab Transitions" Papers. Each publication provides analysis on critical issues in the Middle East which are timely and imperative to both the policymaking and academic communities.

Analysis Papers provide in-depth discussion of an ongoing, complex policy problem, present policy recommendations, and provide a concise and insightful conclusion.

Policy Briefings can be viewed as an extended version of an op-ed—they provide discussions of immediate, time-sensitive issues while also providing policy recommendations.

Transitions Dialogue Papers present findings and analysis which draw from the Center's "Transitions Dialogue,” which provides a venue for mainstream Islamists, Salafis, liberals, and leftists along with U.S. and European officials to exchange ideas, develop consensus, and forge new understandings in a rapidly changing political environment.

Brookings Doha Center-Stanford “Project on Arab Transitions” Papers aims to combine academic rigor, informed field research, and policy relevance to systematically analyze and illuminate the nature of Arab transitions, focusing on issues such as electoral design, constitution-drafting, political party development, and national dialogue processes.