Egyptians refuse to go the Turkey way: a progressive democracy chaperoned by the army. They want an instant democracy. It may work in Tunisia, would it work in Egypt or Syria?
“Friday’s protest in Tahrir Square focused on the SCAF’s attempt to impose “super-constitutional principles”, with an initial draft including provisions to give the military an exemption from parliamentary oversight, as well as powers to appoint the future constituent assembly’s members and, if necessary, dismiss it. ”
Role of the military in the political life of Turkey
“From Turkey’s founding, the military assumed responsibility for guaranteeing the republic’s constitution. Article 35 of the Turkish Armed Service Internal Service Code of 1961 declared that the “duty of the armed forces is to protect and safeguard Turkish territory and the Turkish Republic as stipulated by the constitution.”[2] Indeed, such an interpretation had its roots in the constitution. Turkey’s first constitution was written in 1921, and since the formal proclamation of the republic, the country has had three additional constitutions—in 1924, 1961, and 1982. Until the constitutional amendments of 2001, each placed responsibility in the military’s hands for the protection of the Turkish state from both external and internal challenges. The constitution of 1982, for example, prohibited contestation or constitutional review of the laws or decrees passed by the military when the republic was under its rule from 1980 until 1983.”
Turkey’s path to democracy
“Successive governments of Turkey wisely did not attempt to introduce full democracy all at once, but instead went through successive phases of limited democracy, laying the foundation for further development, and, at the same time, encouraging the rise of civil society.”
“In Turkey, that was accomplished by Atatürk in a series of radical measures, including the disestablishment of Islam, the virtual repeal of the Sacred Law (Shari’a), and the enactment in their place of civil and criminal codes of a nonreligious character. Most other states in the Islamic world either have Islam in some form of words enshrined in their constitutions or else claim that Islam itself is their constitution, and that they need no other.”
Why Turkey Is the only Muslim Democracy
http://www.meforum.org/216/why-turkey-is-the-only-muslim-democracy
by Bernard Lewis
Middle East Quarterly
March 1994, pp. 41-49
http://www.meforum.org/2160/turkey-military-catalyst-for-reform
http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/?p=12738&cp=7#comment-284209