Mateser / Benim istanbulum: Turkey At Crossroads

A modern young couple take a sightseeing tour on the Bosphorus which symbolically divides east and west, in Istanbul, Turkey on Thursday, May 17, 2007. The secular Turkish state was founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923 and is seen as proof that Islam and democracy can coexist. Recent developments in Turkish politics, along with tensions with the West concerning Kurdish terrorism and EU membership, have threatened to destabilize the balance between government and religion. PM Erdogan's recent attempt to become president, after the retirement of secularist Ahmet Necdet Sezer, was met with uproar and Erdogan's offer to place Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, a devout Muslim, in the presidency instead has caused large but peaceful demonstrations to take over the larger cities. The military, which has staged four coups in the past five decades, has warned against Gul's candidacy. In the midst of this political turmoil more than 600 people, many of them soldiers, have died from Kurdish terrorist attacks staged by groups living just across the border in Iraq. Coalition forces inability or unwillingness to curb these attacks and European reluctance to accept Turkey as a member of the EU have pushed Turkey to the boiling point. Turkey's stability is key for stability in the entire region and it is unclear how crisis will be averted. **Scandinavia Out**

A large demonstration takes place in Izmir, Turkey on Sunday, May 13, 2007. The secular Turkish state was founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923 and is seen as proof that Islam and democracy can coexist. Recent developments in Turkish politics, along with tensions with the West concerning Kurdish terrorism and EU membership, have threatened to destabilize the balance between government and religion. PM Erdogan's recent attempt to become president, after the retirement of secularist Ahmet Necdet Sezer, was met with uproar and Erdogan's offer to place Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, a devout Muslim, in the presidency instead has caused large but peaceful demonstrations to take over the larger cities. The military, which has staged four coups in the past five decades, has warned against Gul's candidacy. In the midst of this political turmoil more than 600 people, many of them soldiers, have died from Kurdish terrorist attacks staged by groups living just across the border in Iraq. Coalition forces inability or unwillingness to curb these attacks and European reluctance to accept Turkey as a member of the EU have pushed Turkey to the boiling point. Turkey's stability is key for stability in the entire region and it is unclear how crisis will be averted. **Scandinavia Out**