ABSTRACT
Birikim's characterization of the AK Party is perfectly compatible with the party's definition of itself as politically conservative. For Birikim, the AK Party is a unique entity in Republican history in terms of not only being an entirely new party model but also representing a new form of Islamic politics appealing to middle and upper classes. Birikim points out that the middle-class nature of the party also catalyzed new initiatives in the AK Party's foreign policy. Birikim troika's personal histories and ideological upbringings obviously position them against the TAF's tutelary role, which they hold responsible for the repression of a democratic life and thought in Turkey after 1980. Birikim also provides a general criticism of the Ergenekon investigations on the grounds that they are not free from political influence by the AK Party: 'this investigation has followed a course that shows and reminds us of how executive and judiciary branches can be used for illegal and dirty purposes and relations'.
