ABSTRACT
The process of globalisation has had a dramatic impact in terms of transforming one major party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP). This chapter highlights the paradoxical role of the AKP, a party with Islamist roots, in Turkey's recent transformation and Europeanisation. It reviews recent Turkish experience to illuminate a broader question concerning the possibilities of transforming an Islamist political movement into a party that embraces the norms of liberal democracy. The AKP, as a new force, capitalised on the situation and presented itself to the electorate as a progressive force that could bring benefits from the positive aspects of economic globalisation, based on active participation and competition in the global market. The AKP's own commitment to 'multiculturalism' is open to question given that the party has so far not been very receptive to the idea of extending religious rights to Christian minorities as well as Muslim minorities such as the Alevis.
