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Turkey's relationship with the European Union (EU) is dominated by issues of democratization and human rights and is best approached from a perspective which understands the nature of the cosmopolitan regimes which work to regulate the democratic practices of nation-states and animate citizens and minority groups striving to assert their rights. Cosmopolitan or transnational processes of democratization are frequently perceived by Turkey's Kemalist political elites as being contrary to the interests of domestic harmony and a threat to national integrity. It is argued that the apparent reluctance of the Kemalist elites to embrace greater pluralism and align with the EU's Copenhagen criteria is in fact an attempt to 'remake' themselves through political choices framed by global opportunities. In this sense, the mobilization of nationalist resistance to outside 'interference' is calculated to secure legitimacy in an increasingly uncertain political environment. In addition, Turkey is increasingly dependent upon the very global processes that are perceived as a threat to national sovereignty, and EU standards and norms offer the means by which Turkey can safeguard national integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of democratization in Turkey is enhanced by both proximity to the European Union’s enlargement process and universalistic discourses of personhood rights, and, at the same time, compromised by a nationalistic rejection of global human rights and democratic norms and state-led resistance to political pluralism. One key feature of the democratization process is the way in which contending parties – the Kemalist elite, religious and ethnic minorities, the European Union – attempt to legitimise their claims by appeals to universal principles. The paper examines three sociological/social theory approaches to universalism (Beck, Laclau, Robertson) and demonstrates their usefulness for an understanding of political contestation in contemporary Turkey. It is argued that the work of these theorists allows us to move beyond a simplistic polarisation of the universal and the particular, where the state represents the universal and minorities the particular. The conceptualisation of universalism advanced by Beck, Laclau and Robertson points to the need to understand the processes of democratization within a sociologically informed globalization framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an argument on the lack of consistency in Turkey's approach to align domestic democratic norms with those of the European Union. Developments in EU-Turkey relations; Discussion on the banning of the Islamist Virtue Party; Conclusion.

Examines the importance of European Union (EU) expectations regarding human rights and democratization within the context of Turkey's EU candidature in the post-Helsinki period. Analysis of the February 2000 events surrounding the arrest of three elected mayors representing HADEP (People's Democratic Party) in southeastern Turkey; Impact of Kemalism on Turkish political life.

Deals with issues associated with Turkey's inclusion in the European Union's enlargement process. Helsinki European Council's confirmation of Turkey as a candidate for European Union (EU) membership; Fulfillment of an ambition that can be traced back to the Association Agreement signed in 1963; Closest form of economic integration with the EU short of full membership.