Civil-Military Relations in Europe, the Middle East and Turkey

Cataloged from PDF version of article.This article seeks to understand the transformation of Turkish civil-military relations in a comparative perspective. The analysis is based on two criteria: institutional/ legal mechanisms and political oversight of the military’s autonomy. Comparison of European and Middle Eastern civil-military relations models to the Turkish paradigm unveils grave differences between Turkish and Middle Eastern civil-military relations. The Turkish model in transformation for at least a decade is closer to the European model in both legal and political aspects. Nevertheless, the article underscores that Turkish civil-military relations are still in transformation and although the EU accession process has gradually democratized the legal system of the country, democratic consolidation requires further advances in the political domain. Consequently, consolidation in Turkey depends not only on retreating of the military from the political realm but also on the proper civilianization of the regime in theory and practice

Religion and Coalition Politics

Cataloged from PDF version of article.The literature holds that coalition-building parties prefer the policy distance of coalition partners to be as small as possible. In light of continued importance of religion in electoral politics cross-nationally, the distance argument is worrisome for minorities seeking political access because many minorities are of different religion than the majority representatives forming coalitions. The authors suggest plurality parties’ objectives to demonstrate inclusiveness outweigh the concern over policy distance. They test their hypotheses on a sample of all electorally active ethnic minorities in democracies from 1945 to 2004. The authors find support for their hypothesis that ethnic parties representing minorities that diverge in religious family from the majority are more likely to be included in governing coalitions than are ethnic minorities at large. It is interesting, however, that they also find that minority parties representing ethnic groups that differ in denomination from the majority are less likely to be included in governing coalitions

Military Counterterrorism Measures, Civil–Military Relations, and Democracy: The Cases of Turkey and the United States

This study examines how military counter-terrorism (CT) measures affect the quality of democracy by altering civil-military relations (CMR) and focuses on civil-military relations as the main causal mechanism. We argue that the use of a military approach in counter-terrorism jeopardizes democracy at the societal level by increasing the belief that only the military is equipped to deal with the threat at hand. Therefore, erosions of civil liberties are tolerated in exchange for security. Second, we argue that military CT measures change the balance between the military and executive powers in procedural and liberal democracies. While the military’s executive power increases in procedural democracies, the civilian ruler’s control of the military power increases in liberal ones. Case studies of the U.S. and Turkey show that a military counter-terrorism approach affects CMR in these countries, which generate a similar tradeoff between security and the quality of democracy, albeit via different causal mechanisms. While that tradeoff is less severe in the U.S., Turkey is more vulnerable to erosion of democracy

Introduction to SEAFDEC Repository

Since 1998, SEAFDEC information-related activities have been intensified through the formulation of program on Center-wide Information Network. The program aims to provide a platform for the implementation of organization information-related activities. In order to harmonize these activities toward the organizational goal, the Information Strategies for Enhancing SEAFDEC Visibility and Communication has been formulated. With this regards, SEAFDEC Repository has been developed under Information Strategy number two which objective is to raising SEAFDEC image at national, regional and international level

Transformation of the Turkish military and the path to democracy

Democratization scholars argue that Turkey has successfully transitioned to democracy and is consolidating liberal democracy. The political elite and the parties are deemed important factors in crafting democracies. However, the Turkish political leadership has not changed much until recently; therefore, it remains a puzzle why consolidation is taking place. There are two explanations: (1) there is no consolidation of democracy (2) a factor other than the turnover in political elite/change in the political system has led to consolidation. I argue that consolidation is in progress because of the lengthy but persistent transformation of the military in Turkey. I examine previously overlooked changes in Turkish military with respect to its structure and its relations to the society. I find that the change in the military contributes to the consolidation of democracy in Turkey, and other transitional democracies. As with any other institutional change, this process is slow and risky. © 2008 Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society. All rights reserved

Multilateral interventions as a power-enhancing instrument: Rising powers' path from the periphery to the center

[No abstract available

Educação física inclusiva na escola: em busca de uma escola plural

O autor nos mostra uma proposta de intervenção no sentido de inclusão de alunos com deficiência na educação física Escolar. Partindo de conceitos e na perspectiva de excluir o preconceito. Reinaldo Soler nos mostra que na busca da educação inclusiva a metodologia ideal é a pedagogia transdiciplinar de Nicolescu (1997) e seus princípios são: aprender a conhecer, aprender a fazer, aprender a ser, aprender a viver junto. Entretanto, na educação física a pedagogia cooperativa nos prepara melhor para esta tarefa da educação inclusiva. Assim, a inclusão de alunos com deficiência nas aulas de Educação Física se faz necessário, pois Dentro desta perspectiva podemos citar que são inúmeros os benefícios da inclusão dos alunos com deficiência nas escolas regulares e principalmente nas aulas de educação física, pois quando se participa junto com outras pessoas acontece o aumento da auto–estima, melhoria da competência física e social e também um aumento na variedade de modelos sócias propiciados pela diversidade dos participantes

Diagnóstico Socioeconómico, Ecológico y Elaboración de un Plan de Manejo de la Microcuenca del Río Alao

Se pretende coadyuvar esfuerzos en el manejo y conservación de recursos naturales de la microcuenca, realizando un diagnóstico socioeconómico-ecológico y prooner un plan de manejo sustentable de recursos naturales de esta microcuenca. Se partió de información básica existente de instituciones de la zona ,(17 comunidades ), se realizaron talleres, entrevistas, diálogos comunitarios, para recopilarla y actualizarla. Para la formulación del diagnóstico ecológico, se aplicó una evaluación ecológica rápida con ayuda de transectos lineales de longitud variable y la aplicación de formularios. Para diagnóstico situacional se aplicó FODA, a través de talleres comunitarios, participativos. Para la formulación del plan se consideraron resultados de los diagnósticos socioeconómico, ecológico y situacional, para su cumplimiento técnico, se ha realizado una zonificación que comprende: zonas de protección, recuperación, desarrollo rural intensivo y extensivo, páramo y desarrollo urbano. En el plan propone tres programas: Fortalecimiento institucional para el manejo de la microcuenca con subprogramas de organización comunitaria y fortalecimiento institucional, Programa de desarrollo sustentable, con subprogramas de infraestructura y servicios básicos, manejo de recursos hídricos, manejo forestal, manejo de suelos, manejo de páramos, manejo de cultivos y manejo de protección ambiental; Programa de difusión y educación ambiental, con subprogramas de educación ambiental y difusión. La ejecución del plan de manejo propuesto contribuirá al manejo sustentable de recursos naturales. Se propone la creación del Comité Interinstitucional de Manejo de la Microcuenca del Río Alao (CIMMA), que liderará, coordinará, guiará hacia la concertación, factores importantes para garantizar su ejecución, seguimiento, evaluación y reformulación oportuna.It is intended to assist efforts in the management and conservation of natural resources of the watershed, carrying out a socio-economic-ecological prooner diagnosis and a plan of sustainable management of natural resources of this watershed. It began with basic information existing institutions in the area, (17 communities), workshops, interviews, community dialogues were conducted to collect it and update it. For the formulation of ecological diagnosis, a rapid ecological assessment using linear transects of variable length and application forms was applied. SWOT for situational analysis was applied through community, participatory workshops. For the formulation of the plan results of socioeconomic, ecological and situational diagnoses, for technical compliance were considered, there has been a zoning comprising: buffer zones, recovery, intensive and extensive rural development, wilderness and urban development. The plan proposes three programs: Institutional strengthening for the management of the watershed with subprograms community organization and institutional strengthening, sustainable development program, subprograms infrastructure and basic services, water management, forest management, soil management, management moorland, crop management and environmental protection management; Outreach program and environmental education, with subprograms environmental education and outreach. The implementation of the management plan proposed will contribute to the sustainable management of natural resources. the creation of the Interagency Management Committee Microcuenca River Alao (CIMMA), which will lead, coordinate, lead to the conclusion, important factors to ensure implementation, monitoring, evaluation and timely reformulation is proposed

Religion, government coalitions, and terrorism

When ethnic minority parties are excluded from government coalitions, are group attributes such as religion related to the groups' use of political violence? We argue that extremist factions within minority groups make use of divergence in religion to mobilize support for violent action when the group is excluded from government. Thus, we posit that while religion per se is not a source of violence, extremist elements of ethnic minorities, whose religion differs from the majority, may use religious divergence to mobilize group members to perpetrate terrorism. Specifically we test the hypotheses that extremist factions of an excluded group will be more likely to carry out terrorist attacks when the group's members belong to a different religion as well as when they belong to a different denomination or sect of a religion than the majority. To test these propositions, we use data on ethnic minority party inclusion in government coalitions, ethnic minority group religion, and the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) by matching perpetrators with ethnic groups for all democracies, 1970-2004. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC