Understanding Rule of Law / Supremacy of Law and Underlying Obstacles in Turkey and Around the World
Abstract
Rule of Law has become every country’s ambition; developed countries are promoting it, multinational corporations want it, and aid organizations are trying to build it. No country in modern times - with the possible exception of China during the cultural revolution- has ever said “We reject the rule of law,” although by their actions some countries have done so. The goal of this paper is to provide some additional perspective on the Rule of Law for discussion and deliberations in Turkey. The paper starts with some of the major obstacles, and then make a few comments regarding the author’s impressions about Turkey and the Rule of Law as compared to other countries. There are three major obstacles discussed briefly: defining the rule of law, developing rule of law culture, and legal structure to support rule of law.