Qiuomarss Yazdanpanah Dero
Abstract
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Political geography is a science that offers a different and realistic view of the political structures of governments, combining political insights and determinants of geographic environment. It deals with the geographical structure of countries. Although the establishment ...
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Extended Abstract
Introduction
Political geography is a science that offers a different and realistic view of the political structures of governments, combining political insights and determinants of geographic environment. It deals with the geographical structure of countries. Although the establishment of territorial governments and the formation of strong governments became the dominant global paradigm with the conclusion of the Treaty of Westphalia since the seventeenth century, it didn't take long that the sovereignty of the monarchs was vested in the nations. Nations became responsible for forming the government and they gained national sovereignty. This phenomenon has taken place all around the world in different quality and any government claim to have been ruled by its nation and they are trying to consolidate the foundations of its government even more by strengthening the intellectual foundation of nation. But this approach faces with many challenges in the West Asian region which is the cradle of Islamic civilization. Therefore, this paper aims to analysis those challenges by using descriptive-analytical approach. It seems that the political thought of Islam rejects them by taking indicators which can lead the foundation of the nation-state and offers different basics and characteristics. Indicators taken from the explicit text of the Quran, the prophetic manner of the Prophet (peace is upon him) and the teachings of the Imams (AS) signify God's direct role in absolute sovereignty over the world and in the establishment of a state based on religious and religious beliefs. Therefore, due of the inherent difference between the political thought of Islam and the humanist political thought of the West, the most important set of challenges of Islam in the government debate are the components which form the base of Nation-based government. This paper analysis the issues by challenging views based on foundational Arguments and the adaptation of it with New Attitudes of Political Geography on Government – Nation.
Method
The present paper deals with understanding the dimensions and components of government and the practices of sovereignty in Islam. It has used a model and typology appropriate to the structure of governments and its executive models. The qualitative part of this research is to investigate and discuss these challenges in both the theoretical and practical aspects. This research is a descriptive-analytical one. Data collection was carried out using library studies, document and content examinations.
Review of Literature
The nation-state is a political system composed of a population of people that all united on a single model (Barzeghar, 1993:14) It resides in a land that has specific boundaries and all strive to achieve the national cause (Heydari, 2006:78) under a single sovereignty and in the form of a national constitution. The result of such a process leads to form a collective identity as national identity (Razazi far, 2001:103) which is based on homeland love and national pride.
In geopolitical science, democracy is based on four components; the absence of any of these components makes it difficult to define democracy. However, some political science scholars believe that international recognition is a fifth component of nation-based government and it cannot be formally recognized as a nation-state until recognized by the international system.
Findings and Discussion
This study analyses theoretical challenges of Islam in dealing with the Nation-Base Governments in five parts. In the first part, it provides the Islam stand for the origin of nation-state rule. Indeed the origin of nation-state rule is not merely the guiding of society, but merely meeting human needs or attaining a sacred purpose (Sajadi, 2009:167-166). The second part it analyses relation between Islam and the law of a nation-state. Islam considers Qur'an as a book of government; presents it as the law of society and believes that it contains a vast collection of spiritual and educational programs for human that depict the fate of the world and the hereafter of man and society. The third part examines the relation of Islam and the structure and pillars of nation-based government. One of the disagreement points between Shiite and Sunni political thought is about the head of state in Islam. The forth part is about the Islam and the legitimacy of a nation-based state. The legitimacy of the political system is a mental phenomenon and reflects the type and quality of the relationship that exists between the components of government and the people, which in some cases fall outside the scope of legitimacy and adopts the notion of acceptance. (Youssef, 2005:65). From Islam point of view, intellectual legitimacy is kind of a rational-religious state which is based on "for people" and" people's vote" and in interpreting such a government, it emphasizes the two components of divine legitimacy and popular legitimacy (Vahidi, 2007:184). The fifth part examines the Islamic unity and national cohesion. In nation-state rule, solidarity of a nation takes place around historical, racial, ethnic, linguistic issues, and a nation strives to achieve an ideal that plays a part in the political thought of that nation.
Conclusion
Since the formation of government structures, The Phenomenon of Government, State and Nation in Islamic Concepts have always been the subject of debate in academic circles and academia. But nowadays, Islamic countries have entered the modern era, passing through the traditional era, the transitions of the caliphate and the Emirate and other traditional patterns. They have taken strong steps in the direction of modern models by theoretical and structural changing based on high political knowledge and democratic institutionalization. While such a pattern spread in Europe and the West Asian region due to the presence of European advisers, the necessary background for the formation of such a model was provided in Islamic countries. in a broader sense, Therefore, Islamic political thought defines the national cohesion as the Islamic unity. it rejects the defined geographical boundaries for nation-states and views Islamic society as the criterion of a society in which Islamic rule prevails.
Yashar Zaki; Kiomars Yazdanpanah Dero Yazdanpanah Dero; Gholamali Mostafavi
Abstract
Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
As a Muslim state with a democratically elected national parliament and a political process having admitted and internalized special scope of differences of opinions, Turkey is a suitable place for the assessment of spatial dynamics and convergence of aforementioned ...
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Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
As a Muslim state with a democratically elected national parliament and a political process having admitted and internalized special scope of differences of opinions, Turkey is a suitable place for the assessment of spatial dynamics and convergence of aforementioned relations through electoral geography research. In 2002, untimely elections of Turkish parliament were held in the wake of protest against the senility of the prime minister of the time that led to the resignation of over the half of the MPs. In these elections, the newly founded AKP party became victorious. After the soft coup of Turkish army against Islamist government of Necmettin Erbakan in 28 February 1998 and his resignation known as postmodern coup, AKP party under Receb Tayyib Erdogan which is a branch of Welfare and Virtue Party could get the command of power in Turkey in 2002.
2. Theoretical Framework
"Analysis of overt manifestations of elections and political strategies amongst dynamics of the world of economy" is one of the ways to study electoral elections. By this definition, electoral geography studies the patterns of political elections applied in the structural limits of local knowledge and experience of global forces. Electoral geographers attempt to explain how national and global processes in regional and local spatial location intervene to identify "special regional districts of elections" and analyze "the geography of political responses". Geographers collectively maintain that the voters are simultaneously influenced by the thorough scope of materialist, social and religious experiences, and study the manners in which the reasons converge in different ways and in different places with different historical backgrounds. Moreover, they consider this as important to analyze the patterns of political elections which are in turn the determinant of such issues as the combination of national, regional, and local assemblies.
3. Research Method
From the perspective of methodology, the current study is descriptive-analytic and the method of obtaining data and information is based on the study of available books, articles, and publications in Persian, English, and Turkish. Also, the statistics regarding the elections are obtained by referring to Turkey's Supreme Election Headquarters portal.
4. Findings and Discussions
Politically, the government in Turkey is parliamentary republic and ideologically, it is secular. There are several types of elections such as parliamentary elections, presidential elections, and municipal elections. Parliamentary elections are held every four years to elect 550 members of the parliament by direct votings of people. According to the current electoral system in Turkey, a party should obtain 10 percent of the national votes to win the required seats in the Turkish Grand National Assembly. An untimely election in Turkey in 2002 which is interpreted as the political quake or so-called as “Public Coup by Ballot Boxes” was the onset of the formation of a one-party authoritarian system after 42 years. In this election, AKP quite recently could establish the state with the majority of votes. Lack of trust of voters in coalition government and fluctuation of the parties away from their responsibilities were among the factors affecting the results of the elections in favor of AKP in that run. In this run of elections, AKP achieved the majority of votes from 53 provinces from central and Northern provinces and some parts of the southern provinces. The election of 2007 was held in precocious time due to the dissolution of the cabinet by Erdogan. The reason for that was the annulment of the votes for the representative of the ruling party by the court constitution to run for the 11th Presisdential Election. In this election, AKP was victorious and it could achieve the controlling command of the government, parliament and presidency. The election of 2011 was indicative of the decisive triumph of AKP and the development of secularism. This party could delimit the power of bueacracy which was the ruling power for half a century. Moderative policy of AKP, reconstructing Islamic Identity, domestic reforms, successful foreign policy, economic performance, strengthening of new non-state actors in Turkish political arena, the decline of Kamalist ideology and raising identity crisis in Turkey, and finally the non-corrupt personel of APK party were all the reasons affecting the continuity of its ruling power until 2011.
5. Conclusion
The formation of three regional blocs and the reduction of parties in Turkish Parliament makes one decide that the elections between the years 2002-2011 could be ascribed as “Critical Elections”. The three regional blocs specified in the Electoral Geography of Turkey refer to the probable gaps in the Turkish politics. The first probable gap is the issue of religion. The inhabitants of the coastal provinces voted for CHP just because they thought religions should be kept and practiced as personal. The people living in the central inland provinces voted for AKP just because they thought they should support religion as a factor playing role in people’s social life. The second probable gab might be the gap between the Kurd and the Turk peoples. This is more prevalent in the south-eastern provinces within which Kurdish parties were far successful. The third probable gap is between the regions supporting long-lasting parties in office and regions supporting the new parties or the ones with the slightest opportunities. This is more salient especially where the differences between coastal and inland regions matter. The investigation of above-mentioned parliamentary elections indicates that AKP could establish a one-party government without coalition with other parties. In the three runs, AKP could gain the majority of votes in central Anatolia and regions neighboring the Black Sea. CHP could win the majority votes of the western regions of Marmara, Aegean Sea, and Mediterranean Sea which are mainly industrial places. Kurdish parties also could attain more supporters in the eastern and south-eastern regions.
