Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ANKARA1104
2007-05-10 11:07:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:  

TURKISH UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' VIEWS ON ELECTION

Tags:  PGOV PHUM PREL OSCE TU 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO1072
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHAK #1104/01 1301107
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 101107Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2032
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-3/J-5//
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU//TCH//
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEUITH/TLO ANKARA TU
RUEHAK/TSR ANKARA TU
RUEHAK/USDAO ANKARA TU
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001104 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/09/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL OSCE TU
SUBJECT: TURKISH UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' VIEWS ON ELECTION
TURMOIL

REF: ANKARA 1083 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Political Counselor Janice J. Weiner, reasons 1.4(b),(d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001104

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/09/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL OSCE TU
SUBJECT: TURKISH UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' VIEWS ON ELECTION
TURMOIL

REF: ANKARA 1083 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Political Counselor Janice J. Weiner, reasons 1.4(b),(d)

1.(C) Summary. In recent roundtable discussions at Ankara's
Bilkent University and Middle East Technical University
(METU),students expressed frustration with Turkey's weak
democracy and political opposition, but most declined to
support the military's interference in the political process.
Students, some of whom participated in the April
pro-secularism rallies in Ankara and Istanbul, were critical
of ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) performance
and what they characterized as its "selective" support of
democracy, however none viewed AKP as a fundamental threat to
the country's stability. Recent events (reftels) show Turkey
still needs many reforms, starting with an education system
that imbues intolerance, to become a mature democracy.
Despite a reputation for political apathy, Turkish students
may be motivated by current tensions to get more involved.
These are some of the country's most promising students, not
necessarily reflective of the majority of Turkey's youth.
But their agreement that reforms are needed for Turkey's
sake, and not simply to satisfy EU requirements, bodes well
for Turkey's future. End summary.

-------------- --------------
University Students Express Their Political Opinions
-------------- --------------

2.(C) In two recent roundtable discussions, we heard the
views of Turkish students at Bilkent University and METU,
both in Ankara. While the students come from different
geographic and economic backgrounds, they attend two of
Turkey's top universities. They expressed a range of views
on elections, the EU, and human rights issues, but were in
general agreement on key issues for Turkey's political future.

-------------- --
Elections: Students Oppose Military's Warning;
Frustrated By Lack of Opposition
-------------- --

3.(C) Students were near unanimous in their strong
disapproval of the military's interference in the
presidential elections, epitomized by an April 27

e-memorandum, which they found incompatible with a modern
democracy. One characterized Turkey's system as "militant
secularism," in which the state will go to any length to
protect secularism. Only one student argued that the
military was justified in intervening because of the threat
Islamist-oriented AKP poses to the country. He accepted that
the military's e-memorandum probably influenced the
Constitutional Court's May 1 ruling, but argued that in
Turkey, secularism is the most important value.

4.(C) Students were strongly critical of AKP's performance.
One student criticized AKP's "selective" use of democracy.
AKP encourages democratic reform when it suits its purposes,
such as allowing headscarves in government institutions, but
disregards it when it works against the party, such as suing
to stop political cartoons critical of the Prime Minister.
Another student criticized AKP's tendency to infiltrate its
cadres into position of power. Despite these shortcomings,
most students did not consider AKP to pose a fundamental
threat to the country.

5.(C) Students criticized the limp and unconstructive
opposition, a passive civil society, and an electoral system
that shuts out parties that fail to pass a national 10
percent threshold. Strengthening these elements would build
the necessary safeguards so that civil society -- instead of
the military -- would protect both secularism and democracy.

-------------- --------------
Students Find Different Meaning in Demonstrations
-------------- --------------

6.(C) The students, observations revealed that the
demonstrations in Ankara and Istanbul bore very different
meanings to different people. For one student who
participated in both the Ankara (April 14) and Istanbul

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(April 29) demonstrations, defense of the secular republic
was foremost in his mind. Another refused to attend because
he believed opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) was
behind the rally. Yet another said she attended because it
was the first time in years Turks had taken to the streets
and she believed public expression was an essential part of a
healthy democratic polity. However, she felt that the
demonstrations came too late and that they should have been
based on important policies -- not on whether or not the
presidential candidate's wife wears a headscarf. (Note:
Nearly every student strongly supported a woman's right to
wear a headscarf, which they see more as a political
statement than religious symbol.)

7.(C) Another student claimed some people did not have a
clear idea of why they participated; using her own mother as
an example, she argued that there was a growing fear among
many participants, but that they could not identify the
specific threat. Students observed that their parents'
generation had learned the dangers of publicly expressing
their politics in the upheaval of the 1980s, but that anyone
could get behind the safe and universal theme of "saving the
republic." Carrying only national flags and no political
party placards resulted in demonstrations that appeared
misleadingly cohesive.

--------------
Students Ambivalent Toward European Union
--------------

8.(C) Students were ambivalent toward Turkey's EU accession.
Most told us that being in the EU would benefit Turkey but
that the EU had been unfair to Turkey and applied double
standards, citing the Cyprus issue. Several students
believed Turkey needed to reform on its own for the benefit
of Turkey. One student disagreed, saying the EU played an
important watchdog role that encourages Turkey to improve its
human rights record. He noted that his was a minority
opinion among his fellow students and most Turks.

--------------
Education Reform A Critical First-Step
--------------

9.(C) An overhaul of Turkey's education system is the only
way to solve many of Turkey's problems, according to the
students. One told us that the system "is dogmatic,
impractical, and needs to be scrapped entirely." The system
values rote memorization over critical thinking, allows no
opportunity to debate controversial issues, such as the
policies of Ataturk, and promotes a one-sided and often
intolerant view in its Ministry of Education-produced
textbooks, they said. Several students said the education
system was largely behind the intolerant attitudes toward
Turkey's non-Muslims that had led to diminishing Jewish and
Christian communities, as well as the high-profile murders of
three Christian missionaries in Malatya, Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink, and Catholic Priest Santoro. Students
told us these were not isolated incidents but reflected the
widespread sentiment in large parts of Turkish society. They
described the many youths throughout Turkey, including some
of their own acquaintances in Ankara, who showed their
support for the accused Dink murderer by openly and proudly
sporting the same style cap as he. According to the
students, the only way ultimately to overcome the intolerance
and polarization now seen in Turkey would be to completely
restructure the education system.

10.(C) Comment: The students were all interested in
political developments and passionate about the future of
Turkey, contrary to the commonly held view that most
university students are politically apathetic. Though they
admitted they don't represent the majority of Turkish youth,
they were also acutely aware that as future leaders, they
likely will have a role to play in Turkey's development.
Their agreement that reforms are needed for Turkey's sake,
and not simply to satisfy EU requirements, bodes well for
Turkey's future. End comment.

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

ANKARA 00001104 003 OF 003



WILSON