{
  "id": "RL32071",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL32071",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 101725,
      "date": "2004-08-12",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T20:10:40.113774",
      "title": "Turkey: Update on Selected Issues",
      "summary": "Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) remain\npopular\nand have a firm hold on power in Turkey. The AKP is trying to recast itself from an Islamist-rooted\nparty to a centrist \"conservative democratic\" party. Although some AKP actions fuel secularist\nsuspicions of a hidden Islamist agenda, the high priority that the party gives to attaining European\nUnion (EU) membership may mitigate fears about its intentions and support its centrist ambitions. \n  The government remains focused on the economy. With the aid of the International Monetary\nFund (IMF), it has undertaken major macroeconomic reforms, achieved solid growth, and reduced\ninflation. The IMF has reviewed the government's economic performance positively and is expected\nto approve a new three-year stand-by agreement for 2005-2007. \n  The government also has been challenged by terrorism and is dealing with both Kurdish\nterrorism, a radical religious terrorist threat with possible international links, and remnants of leftist\nterrorism.\n  In order to obtain a date to begin accession talks with the European Union (EU), the Turkish\nparliament has passed many reforms to harmonize Turkey's laws and Constitution with EU\nstandards. The EU is expected to scrutinize implementation of the reforms carefully before setting\na date for accession talks. The situation on Cyprus is not expected to affect EU decision-making.\n  U.S.-Turkish relations were shaken on March 1, 2003, when the Turkish parliament rejected\na resolution to allow the deployment of U.S. troops to Turkey to open a northern front against Iraq. \nBilateral ties have been strained by other developments in Iraq. The Turkish parliament's October\n2003 decision to authorize the deployment of Turkish peacekeepers to Iraq helped to improve ties,\neven though the offer was not accepted. However, Turkey continues to be concerned about the\nsituation in Iraq and U.S. actions there, which fuel anti-Americanism.\n  Turkey remains important to the United States. Turkish air bases were used in the Afghan war\nand its airspace in the Iraq war. Its ports, airbases, and roads are used to resupply coalition forces\nand for reconstruction efforts in Iraq. U.S. troops rotate to and from Iraq via Turkey. Turkey will\nbe an important transit route for pipelines carrying energy resources from the Caucasus and Central\nAsia to the West, and the often sabotaged oil pipeline from Iraq to Turkey could be helpful to Iraq's\nrecovery. Turkish and U.S. intelligence agencies are cooperating closely in the war on terrorism. \nTurkish peacekeepers have served in many hot spots in support of U.S. policies, and commanded\nthe International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. Finally, some U.S. officials and\nanalysts believe strongly that Turkey, as a predominantly Muslim, democratic country, could serve\nas an example to others.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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          "encoding": "utf-8",
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      ],
      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Foreign Affairs",
    "Industry and Trade",
    "Intelligence and National Security",
    "National Defense"
  ]
}