The Progress of Human Rights Reform in Turkey Essay example -- Politic

The Progress of Human Rights Reform in Turkey Throughout the last half-century of American politics, the Presidents of the United States have been more susceptible to public attack and scorn than ever before in our history. Through events such as Nixon's Watergate, Clinton's impeachment, and the Bush wars the public has voiced scathing criticism of our national leaders without fear of personal harm. People in America know that they can openly criticize anyone and anything in our country including our president or the pillars of our country's history like Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, or even our first president George Washington. Americans do not think much about human rights because they are interlaced into the very fabric of our society. However, such rights and freedoms are not afforded to all people, and in some countries, like Turkey, a person could be killed or tortured for simply criticizing their government. Turkey is an interesting nation because in many ways it represents the divide between Western Judeo-Christian societies and Middle Eastern Islamic societies. In fact, since the beginning of the 1900's, Turkey has always been the place where Europe trails off, and another reality, another world begins.[i] As a result, it possesses many different tenets that form an amalgam within their culture, government, and everyday life. For many years Turkey and human rights were tantamount to oil and water so in order to examine their progress we must consider the short history of Turkey as a country, Turkey?s current status, and the impact of the European Union. Turkey?s brief history ?Since being founded on July 24, 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the self-proclaimed ?Father of the Turks?, Turkey?s ... ...ic, p.96. [xiii] Kilic, p.97. [xiv] Richard F. Nyrop ed., Turkey a Country Study (Washington: American, 1980), p. 188. [xv] Kilic, p. 98. [xvi] Pope, p. 152. [xvii] Pope, p. 152. [xviii] Kilic, p. 99. [xix] Kilic, p. 95. [xx] Kilic, p. 101. [xxi] Great-if they really happen; Turkey?s reforms, The Economist, August 10, 2002, pNA. [xxii] Great-if they really happen; Turkey?s reforms. [xxiii] Turkey?s human rights, The Economist, September 4, 1999, p. 50. [xxiv] Owen Matthews and Sami Kohen, Glasnost in the Air, Newsweek International, July 14, 2003, p. 33. [xxv] Matthews and Kohen, p. 33. [xxvi] Matthews and Kohen, p. 33. [xxvii] Matthews and Kohen, p. 33. [xxviii] Great- if they really happen; Turkey?s reforms. [xxix] Romano, p.12. [xxx] Matthews and Kohen, p. 33. [xxxi] Pope, p. 256. [xxxii] Kilic, p. 104.