EU political conditionality and parties in government: human rights and the quest for Turkish transformation

A three-level analytical framework is used to examine the evolution of Turkeys accession to the European Union (EU). The focus is on the domestic effect of EU conditionality, especially problematic aspects of EU-induced domestic reform. A look at the Copenhagen political criteria & the monitoring of these criteria through the European Commissions annual reports is followed by an analysis of the importance of the partisan factor in relation to the electors, the voting system, & the government. Changes resulting from the ratification of European & international conventions by successive governments are detailed. Special attention is given to the tripartite coalition (1999-2003) & the post-2002 government led by the Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi (AKP) which focused on using Europe to transform Turkish domestic polity in ways that ensured the partys political survival. It is concluded that the Turkish case illustrates that European integration is one of the independent variables affecting a candidate countrys reaction; however, that reaction is mediated through the intervening variable of the character of the governing political party. Tables. J. Lindroth