IntroductionThe Republic of Turkey is a country situated in Southeast Europe. The nation is strategically placed, given that eight countries border it. While there are several interesting aspects related to this particular state, the current political philosophy is perhaps the most trending among researchers. In its most broad form, political philosophy refers to the study of fundamental questions regarding the state, liberty, politics, government, justice, as well as the enforcement of legal code through authority. In this paper, the purpose is to investigate Turkey’s political philosophy and its subsequent implications for the country’s global business market and productivity.
The existing political philosophy
As defined in the introductory part, the government is one of the key aspects of political philosophy. According to Todd (2015), the government of Turkey has increasingly tightened its control over the military. Indeed, over the last few months, the Prime Minister has been making concerted moves to consolidate the regime’s power. A recently failed coup has prompted this move. Regarding liberty, it has been revealed that, unlike the past, Turkey is vastly becoming an “unfree” country. As such, the government has been accused of harassing and detaining any individuals and groups, which it deems as being provocative (IES, 2016). For example, two people affiliated with the 3H Movement were recently illegally detained after hanging a banner, which carried the word “Korkmayn” translated as Do not Be Afraid. The government fined the two a total of $150 (IES, 2016). In addition, the regime blocked 40,000 websites, which included Twitter and YouTube (IES, 2016).
Recent cases have shown that justice in Turkey has increasingly become dependent on political power. To confirm this particular notion, the seizure of the Koza-İpek Group’s management can be used. The Turkish law states that the appointment of trustees can only be facilitated with the aim of establishing the truth. A police raid was recently carried out in the Koza-İpek Group principal offices and critical documents confiscated (Daily News, 2015). This necessarily shows that the government of Turkey is using its might to suppress justice. Clearly, the idea of raiding the firm is in contravention of the law. According to Daily News (2015), legislation is meant to guarantee the prevalence of justice in all activities that take place within the country. However, by not acting by the law, the Turkish government is evidently promoting a culture of injustice.
Effects on Turkey’s international business market and productivity
As a matter of fact, owing to the current political philosophy in Turkey, the confidence of foreign investors about the country as a desirable destination for FDIs has decreased tremendously. Many modern multinational companies are using the web to conduct important functions, which promote productivity. For instance, some businesses rely on such sites as YouTube, Twitter, and social media to advertise their products. Rather than having a physical presence, other multinationals have opted to use the Internet to carry out their trade. Nonetheless, with the Turkish government blocking most sites, a high number of foreign investors have chosen to leave the market. The issue has made even worse by the government’s tendency of illegally raiding businesses.
To many international investors, this is a political risk and can only be controlled by moving out of the country and instead, investing in another nation. The massive foreign investor walkouts have hit Turkey hard. As such, the country’s GDP is rapidly shrinking. In 2013, the state recorded GDP worth 823.24 billion dollars (Trading Economics, 2016). In 2014, the GDP fell, reaching a low of 798.8 billion dollars. In 2015, the economic growth plummeted after a GDP of 718.22 billion dollars was recorded (Trading Economics, 2016). In the 2016 fiscal year, it is projected that the productivity will fall even further.
Questions for the team
What do you think the Turkish government should do to restore the confidence of foreign investors?
Should the international community intervene?
- Daily News (2015). The state of justice in Turkey. Retrieved from www.hurriyetdailynews.com/the-state-of-justice-in-turkey-.aspx?pageID=238&nid=90515
- IES (2016). Liberty in Turkey: Past and Present. Retrieved from www.ies-europe.org/event.php?article_id=338#.V-kRooh94ch
- Todd, G. (2015). The ABCs Of The Current Political Situation In Turkey–A Primer. NEO. Retrieved from http://journal-neo.org/2015/08/26/the-abcs-of-the-current-political-situation-in-turkey-a-primer/
- Trading Economics (2016). Turkey GDP. Retrieved from www.tradingeconomics.com/turkey/gdp
