BY HALUK SAHIN
RADIKAL- Ten days have passed since the July 22 general elections. It's too early to evaluate them historically, but here's how I see the situation: We all know who the losers are, but not the winners. The ranks of traditional bureaucrats that are sometimes called the guardians of the republic as well as the party they support both lost. These people have had a hard time finding creative solutions to the problems Turkey is facing and tried to justify their existence only by objecting to the proposals of others. They didn't know what to do to counter the huge wave of globalization. The grassroots move they tried to produce against this huge wave faded away due to closure, xenophobia, anti-European Union ideas and nationalism. They didn't remake themselves but just ended up repeating themselves. Ultimately, they lost. As for the winners, I don't mean in the short run, as the winner of the general elections is clear. I'm talking about at least the middle term. Islamist and liberal columnists say that the elections were a kind of revolution. But is this the same revolution? It seems so, but won't this mean different things in the days ahead? If July 22 were a real revolution, then right now we should be in a period of twilight known to immediately follow revolutions. The old order is gone but it's not clear what will replace it. It's then that the second scene begins. Old friends part ways, and new coalitions and contrasts crop up. It will be no different this time. Various scenarios are already being talked about for the mid-term:
The first is that Turkey will move along the road to EU membership with determination and won't miss its goal of becoming a democratic, prosperous country.
The second is that it will become more and more conservative, accept being a country of moderate Islam and present itself as a Middle Eastern country.
The former can be seen as the logical outcome of the special project of the Republic of Turkey and over time can be adopted by the losers. The latter can be easier and more attractive for those designating the globalization project. We'll soon see. No matter what happens, this twilight is temporary.