Perhaps beginning with the invasion of Iraq by the United States and clearly after the destruction of Gaza by Israel, claims raised mostly in the US but also in Europe that Turkey under the “Islamist” Justice and Development Party (AKP) government is “drifting away from the West” and is “changing axis” towards the East, etc., have proliferated. Recently there are even such arguments that there is a growing ideological divide between Turkey and the West, particularly the US, and that Turkey is forming a “new axis” with authoritarian but Muslim Iran and Syria. As evidence for these arguments, reference is often made to recent survey findings which indicate that about a third of Turkey's citizens think that their country should act alone in the world, that they are much less concerned than Americans and Europeans about Iran becoming a nuclear power, that most think their values are very different from those of the West, and that they are increasingly less inclined to agree that Turkey joining the EU would be a good thing.
All of these claims and arguments are worth scrutiny separately; but let me first question how congruent the main argument that “Turkey under the Islamist government is drifting away from the West” is with facts. I have to first admit that if being part of the West means sharing the values of Christian or Judeo-Christian civilization, Turkey (despite its highly authoritarian form of secularism) with its mostly devout Muslim population has never been a part of the West. If being part of the West means unconditionally subscribing to policies pursued by the Western alliance, the US or the EU, and unconditionally supporting the policies of Israeli governments, Turkey has really never been a part of the West and under the AKP government has clearly moved away from the West by pursuing a more independent and multi-dimensional foreign policy. If being part of the West means pursuing a foreign policy based on the use of military force, on militaristic principles, Turkey under the AKP government has certainly drifted away.
If, however, being part of the West means adopting the Copenhagen criteria of the EU; commitment to a market economy based on private property and private initiative; having a political regime in which not the military and civilian bureaucrats but the elected politicians are responsible for the direction of the country; where not only basic rights and freedoms of individuals, but also the rights of religious, ethnic and cultural minority groups are respected; where there is rule of law and equality of citizens before the law; where both domestic and foreign policy is based on liberal principles of solving problems not by military force but through dialogue and negotiation, then if Turkey is not yet a fully “Western” nation and has some way to go, under the leadership of the AKP government it has moved towards that goal and is today more Western than some countries which are for instance already members of the EU.
If you are asking what evidence there is to the above argument I can recommend that you take a look at the progress (towards EU membership) reports on Turkey published by the European Commission since 1998, and especially compare the findings of the first report with those of the report to be published in a few weeks' time. I also recommend that you consider the change in both the quantity and the quality (away from gross human rights violations) of cases against Turkey taken up by the European Human Rights Court during the last decade. Turkey's citizens are increasingly supportive of liberal and democratic principles and institutions, as witnessed by the strong vote in favor of constitutional amendments (encouraged by the EU) in the recent referendum. The AKP attracts the largest proportion of the votes in Turkey, not because its “Islamist” or “pro-Islamic” agenda but because it is leading the country to becoming richer and more democratic. And if a governing party that has helped Turkey move closer to achieving Western standards in both the economy and politics can still be called Islamist, then there should be no contradiction between being Islamist and Western at the same time.
A few more points are also pertinent here: If the US has attacked neighboring Iraq, causing the deaths of thousands of civilian Muslims, if the US is continuing to support Israel's occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people, and if certain EU member states are arguing that Turkey can never become a member of the EU, then it is only natural and rational that most citizens of Turkey (including those who are entirely committed to liberal values) will have no sympathy whatsoever for the policies pursued by the US or the EU. If Israel continues to occupy and oppress the Palestinian people, and refuses to apologize for killing nine Turks on the Mavi Marmara and pay compensation to their families, it is only natural and rational that vast majority of Turkey's citizens (including those who are entirely committed to liberal values) will not favor friendly relations with Israel. And if neighboring Syria and Iran are not pursuing a hostile policy towards Turkey, it is only natural and rational that most citizens of Turkey (including those who are entirely committed to liberal values) will favor good relations with them and resolution of differences not by force or war, but diplomacy and dialogue.
