Ismail Cem
Encyclopedia
İsmail Cem İpekçi was a Turkish
politician, journalist, statesman and former minister of foreign affairs.
in İstanbul in 1959 and graduated from the Law School at the University of Lausanne
, Switzerland
in 1963. He earned in 1983 a master's degree
in sociology of politics at the École Libre des Sciences Politiques
in Paris
, France
. He was an exchange student with AFS Intercultural Programs
at Piedmont High School, Piedmont California for one year during his high school years.
A member of one of the most prominent families in Turkey, Cem was the cousin of murdered journalist Abdi İpekçi
. He was the son of İhsan İpekçi, who was one of the pioneers of the Turkish cinema industry, as the founder and partner of İpek Film, and several popular Istanbul movie theaters including Yeni Melek and İpek.
İsmail Cem was an avid photographer, and held four photo exhibits, and published a book Mevsim, Mevsim
. Between 1971–1974, he served as the chief of the Istanbul office of the Turkish Newspaper Workers Union. In 1974–1975, he acted as the general manager of the state-owned Turkish Radio and Television Corporation
(TRT). Cem's tenure as the general manager of TRT, then the only TV station in Turkey, created some controversy. The conservatives and prominent right-wing figures like future President of Turkey
Süleyman Demirel
used their political and social influence to remove İpekçi from his post in several attempts, which have all proven fruitless.
's Islamism
and the debate of reformation in Turkish left. He is also labeled as the visionary of the "Anatolian Left (Anadolu Solu)". A more detailed bibliography of his works can be found below.
from the Kadıkoy
district in the general elections held in 1987
. He was re-elected in 1991
again from Istanbul and in 1995
from Kayseri
. After the death of President Turgut Özal
in 1993, he ran for president without success. In 1995, İpekçi left the Republican People's Party
(CHP) and joined the Democratic Left Party
(DSP). He was then appointed Minister of Culture. He served as minister of foreign affairs from June 30, 1997 until July 11, 2002. He was the fourth longest-serving minister of this position in Turkey.
as foreign minister. He was largely credited with Turkey's declaration as a full member candidate during the Helsinki Summit Meeting in 1992, after much negotiation with the EU and a night trip by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana
and the then European Commissioner
Günter Verheugen
to Ankara to iron out the last details.
counterpart George Papandreou
worked to improve Turkish-Greek relations. It is during his tenure as foreign minister that a confident, albeit a step-by-step approach was taken towards a rapprochement
between Turkey and Greece. The relations were actually at an all time low after the Abdullah Öcalan
affair, whereby Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos
and some officials of the Greek Foreign Ministry were involved in hiding terrorist organization PKK
leader prior to his arrest by the Turkish police. İpekçi and Papandreou picked up the historically hostile relationships initially starting with some confidence measures.
, he resigned from the Democratic Left Party (DSP) ahead of 2002 parliamentary elections
and formed the New Turkey Party
(YTP) on July 20, 2002 together with his former party colleague Hüsamettin Özkan. İsmail Cem was elected leader of YTP, which did not do well in the elections.
Returning from the United States, where he was due to medical treatment of cancer, he closed YTP on October 24, 2004, joining the CHP. İsmail Cem was acting as the chief advisor to Deniz Baykal
, the leader of CHP, and lectured in Applied Foreign Politics of Turkey at the Istanbul Bilgi University
until his death.
He was married to Elçin Cem, and the couple had a daughter, İpek Cem Taha, and a son, Kerim Cem.
, at which Speaker of the Parliament Bülent Arınç
, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
, current and former leaders of the political parties, his close friend former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece
, George Papandreou and Greek Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Theodoros Kasimis attended.
He was interred at the Zincirlikuyu Cemetery
. Papandreou laid on his grave a branch from the olive tree they both had planted 2000 in Greece as a symbol of peace.
. İsmail Cem's biography written by Turkish political scientist Ozan Örmeci, "Portrait of a Turkish Social Democrat: İsmail Cem" and its Turkish version "Bir Türk Sosyal Demokratı: İsmail Cem" found many readers among Turkish intellectuals and showed Cem's unique place in Turkish social democratic movement.
George Papandreou
for fostering closer relations between the two nations.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
politician, journalist, statesman and former minister of foreign affairs.
Background
İsmail Cem finished high school at Robert CollegeRobert College
Robert College of Istanbul , is one of the most selective independent private high schools in Turkey. Robert College is a co-educational, boarding school with a wooded campus on the European side of Istanbul between the two bridges on the Bosphorus, with the Arnavutköy district to the east, and...
in İstanbul in 1959 and graduated from the Law School at the University of Lausanne
University of Lausanne
The University of Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland was founded in 1537 as a school of theology, before being made a university in 1890. Today about 12,000 students and 2200 researchers study and work at the university...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in 1963. He earned in 1983 a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in sociology of politics at the École Libre des Sciences Politiques
École Libre des Sciences Politiques
École Libre des Sciences Politiques , often referred to as the École des Sciences Politiques or simply Sciences Po was created in Paris in February 1872 by a group of European intellectuals, politicians and businessmen, which included Hippolyte Taine, Ernest Renan, Albert Sorel, Pierre Paul...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He was an exchange student with AFS Intercultural Programs
AFS Intercultural Programs
AFS Intercultural Programs was established in 1915 by A. Piatt Andrew, a onetime economics professor at Harvard University and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury...
at Piedmont High School, Piedmont California for one year during his high school years.
A member of one of the most prominent families in Turkey, Cem was the cousin of murdered journalist Abdi İpekçi
Abdi Ipekçi
Abdi İpekçi was a Turkish journalist, intellectual and an activist for human rights. He was murdered while editor-in-chief of the Turkish daily newspaper Milliyet.-Biography:...
. He was the son of İhsan İpekçi, who was one of the pioneers of the Turkish cinema industry, as the founder and partner of İpek Film, and several popular Istanbul movie theaters including Yeni Melek and İpek.
İsmail Cem was an avid photographer, and held four photo exhibits, and published a book Mevsim, Mevsim
Journalism
Returning home in 1963, Cem started his professional career as a journalist. He worked in some major newspapers and became editor-in-chief of MilliyetMilliyet
Milliyet is a major Turkish daily newspaper founded in 1950.-History:Milliyet came to publishing life at the Nuri Akça press in Babıali, Istanbul as a daily private newspaper on 3 May 1950...
. Between 1971–1974, he served as the chief of the Istanbul office of the Turkish Newspaper Workers Union. In 1974–1975, he acted as the general manager of the state-owned Turkish Radio and Television Corporation
Turkish Radio and Television Corporation
The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, also known as TRT , is the national public broadcaster of Turkey and was founded in 1964. Around 70% of TRT's funding comes from a tax levied on electricity bills and a sales tax on television and radio receivers...
(TRT). Cem's tenure as the general manager of TRT, then the only TV station in Turkey, created some controversy. The conservatives and prominent right-wing figures like future President of Turkey
President of Turkey
The President of Turkey is the head of state of the Republic of Turkey. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office but has some important functions...
Süleyman Demirel
Süleyman Demirel
Sami Süleyman Gündoğdu Demirel, better known as Süleyman Demirel , is a Turkish politician who served as Prime Minister seven times and was the ninth President of Turkey.-Life:Demirel was born in İslamköy, a town in Isparta Province...
used their political and social influence to remove İpekçi from his post in several attempts, which have all proven fruitless.
Writing career
Among with his political and journalistic successes, İpekçi is also known as one of the ideologists of social democracy in Turkey, and was counted among the prominent figures in Turkish centre-left. İpekçi, who advocated a moderate agenda in a time of political turmoil, wrote extensive accounts of the economic and social factors lying beneath Turkey's underdevelopment and theoretized methods for the revitalization of Turkish left. Among his books are Turkiye'de Geri Kalmışlığın Tarihi (A History of Underdevelopment in Turkey), one of the most acclaimed books in the field of social sciences in Turkey and Sosyal Demokrasi Nedir?, Ne Değildir? (What is and What is not Social Democracy?), one of the first books to introduce social democracy to Turkish politics. İpekçi's books, characterized by their plain but informative nature, are still popular and are growing even more popular, especially in light of the current dissent against AKPJustice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
's Islamism
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
and the debate of reformation in Turkish left. He is also labeled as the visionary of the "Anatolian Left (Anadolu Solu)". A more detailed bibliography of his works can be found below.
Political career
He entered politics after being elected deputy of IstanbulIstanbul Province
Istanbul Province is a province located in north-west Turkey. It has an area of 5,196 km² and a population of 13,255,685. The population was 10,018,735 in 2000. It is surrounded by the provinces of Tekirdağ to the west, Kocaeli to the east, the Black Sea to the northern part and the Sea of...
from the Kadıkoy
Kadiköy
Kadıköy is a large, populous, and cosmopolitan district of İstanbul, Turkey on the Asian side of the Sea of Marmara, facing the historic city centre on the European side of the Bosporus...
district in the general elections held in 1987
Turkish general election, 1987
General elections were held in Turkey on 29 October 1987. This election is important for two events; the Military junta's restrictions on former politicians were lifted so they joined to the political scene again, whilst the Motherland Party retained its majority in the parliament by losing votes...
. He was re-elected in 1991
Turkish general election, 1991
General elections were held in Turkey on 20 October 1991. It was the first by the ruling Motherland Party to be contested without its founding leader, Turgut Özal, who had become Turkish president two years previously. The result was a swing against Özal's former party in favour of its fierce...
again from Istanbul and in 1995
Turkish general election, 1995
Turkey's 13th general election was held on Sunday December 24, 1995, triggered after the newly reformed Republican People's Party withdrew from a coalition with the True Path Party...
from Kayseri
Kayseri Province
The Kayseri Province , in central Turkey, is an area that has been linked with mythological stories as well as important figures in Turkish history. It is located in Anatolia, and surrounded by the Mount Erciyes, the Mount Hasan and the Mount Ali...
. After the death of President Turgut Özal
Turgut Özal
Halil Turgut Özal was Prime Minister of Turkey and President of Turkey . As Prime Minister, he transformed the economy of Turkey by paving the way for the privatization of many state enterprises.-Early life and career:...
in 1993, he ran for president without success. In 1995, İpekçi left the Republican People's Party
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
(CHP) and joined the Democratic Left Party
Democratic Left Party (Turkey)
The Democratic Left Party is a Turkish political party founded on November 14, 1985, by Rahşan Ecevit.-1985-1999:The DSP, a social democratic oriented party, was registered on November 14, 1985 by Rahşan Ecevit, wife of Bülent Ecevit, as he was banned from political life after the 1980 coup...
(DSP). He was then appointed Minister of Culture. He served as minister of foreign affairs from June 30, 1997 until July 11, 2002. He was the fourth longest-serving minister of this position in Turkey.
Relations with the European Union
He negotiated candidate status for Turkey's bid to join the European UnionAccession of Turkey to the European Union
Turkey's application to accede to the European Union was made on 14 April 1987. Turkey has been an associate member of the European Union and its predecessors since 1963...
as foreign minister. He was largely credited with Turkey's declaration as a full member candidate during the Helsinki Summit Meeting in 1992, after much negotiation with the EU and a night trip by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana
Javier Solana
Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, KOGF is a Spanish physicist and Socialist politician. After serving in the Spanish government under Felipe González and Secretary General of NATO , he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary...
and the then European Commissioner
European Commissioner
A European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each Member within the college holds a specific portfolio and are led by the President of the European Commission...
Günter Verheugen
Günter Verheugen
-Erler:At around the same time, photographs appeared showing him holidaying with Petra Erler, the head of his private office. A Commission spokesman backed him by saying "the private holidays of Vice President Verheugen in Lithuania this summer did not violate the rules applicable to members of the...
to Ankara to iron out the last details.
Relations with Greece
İpekçi and his GreekGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
counterpart George Papandreou
George Andreas Papandreou
Georgios A. Papandreou , commonly anglicised to George and shortened to Γιώργος in Greek, is a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece following his party's victory in the 2009 legislative election...
worked to improve Turkish-Greek relations. It is during his tenure as foreign minister that a confident, albeit a step-by-step approach was taken towards a rapprochement
Rapprochement
In international relations, a rapprochement, which comes from the French word rapprocher , is a re-establishment of cordial relations, as between two countries...
between Turkey and Greece. The relations were actually at an all time low after the Abdullah Öcalan
Abdullah Öcalan
Abdullah Öcalan , Kurdish founder of the terrorist organization called Kurdistan Workers' Party in 1978.Öcalan was captured in Nairobi and extradited to the Turkish security force, and sentenced to death under Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code, which concerns the formation of armed gangs...
affair, whereby Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos
Theodoros Pangalos
Theodoros Pangalos is a Greek politician and leading member of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement. He currently serves as the Vice-President of the Greek government, responsible for the coordination of the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense and the new Economic & Social Policy...
and some officials of the Greek Foreign Ministry were involved in hiding terrorist organization PKK
Kurdistan Workers' Party
The Kurdistan Workers' Party , commonly known as PKK, also known as KGK and formerly known as KADEK or KONGRA-GEL , is a Kurdish organization which has since 1984 been fighting an armed struggle against the Turkish state for an autonomous Kurdistan and greater cultural and political rights...
leader prior to his arrest by the Turkish police. İpekçi and Papandreou picked up the historically hostile relationships initially starting with some confidence measures.
Later political career and illness
After a dispute with the party leader Bülent EcevitBülent Ecevit
Mustafa Bülent Ecevit was a Turkish politician, poet, writer and journalist, who was the leader of Republican People's Party , later of the Democratic Left Party and four-time Prime Minister of Turkey.- Personal life :...
, he resigned from the Democratic Left Party (DSP) ahead of 2002 parliamentary elections
Turkish general election, 2002
Turkey's 15th general election was held on November 3, 2002 following the collapse of the DSP-MHP-ANAP coalition led by Bülent Ecevit. It was won by the Justice and Development Party , led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, producing a crushing majority in spite of their winning just 34.3% of the national vote...
and formed the New Turkey Party
New Turkey Party
New Turkey Party was a political party in Turkey. It was founded in 2002 following a leadership crisis in the Democratic Left Party that was the major partner in a three party coalition government....
(YTP) on July 20, 2002 together with his former party colleague Hüsamettin Özkan. İsmail Cem was elected leader of YTP, which did not do well in the elections.
Returning from the United States, where he was due to medical treatment of cancer, he closed YTP on October 24, 2004, joining the CHP. İsmail Cem was acting as the chief advisor to Deniz Baykal
Deniz Baykal
Deniz Baykal is a Turkish politician. He was a long-time leader of the Republican People's Party .-Biography:...
, the leader of CHP, and lectured in Applied Foreign Politics of Turkey at the Istanbul Bilgi University
Istanbul Bilgi University
Istanbul Bilgi University is a private, non-profit university in Istanbul, Turkey. It was actually established in 1994 under the name ISIS , but its name was changed to Istanbul Bilgi University with the foundation of the school on June 7, 1996...
until his death.
He was married to Elçin Cem, and the couple had a daughter, İpek Cem Taha, and a son, Kerim Cem.
Funeral
İsmail Cem died on January 24, 2007 in İstanbul after suffering for two years from lung cancer. He was honored with a state funeralState funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...
, at which Speaker of the Parliament Bülent Arınç
Bülent Arinç
Bülent Arınç , is a Turkish politician. He served as the 22nd house speaker of the Parliament of Turkey from 2002 to 2007. He is one of the State Ministers of Turkey and Vice-Prime Minister today.-Life and education:...
, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
, current and former leaders of the political parties, his close friend former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, George Papandreou and Greek Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Theodoros Kasimis attended.
He was interred at the Zincirlikuyu Cemetery
Zincirlikuyu Cemetery
The Zincirlikuyu Cemetery is a modern burial ground at the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. It is administered by the Metropolitan Municipality. Many prominent figures from the world of politics, business, sports and arts rest here....
. Papandreou laid on his grave a branch from the olive tree they both had planted 2000 in Greece as a symbol of peace.
Legacy
İsmail Cem was especially admired by young people in Turkey during his time as a foreign minister. Some polls indicated that young people desired to see Cem as President of TurkeyPresident of Turkey
The President of Turkey is the head of state of the Republic of Turkey. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office but has some important functions...
. İsmail Cem's biography written by Turkish political scientist Ozan Örmeci, "Portrait of a Turkish Social Democrat: İsmail Cem" and its Turkish version "Bir Türk Sosyal Demokratı: İsmail Cem" found many readers among Turkish intellectuals and showed Cem's unique place in Turkish social democratic movement.
Awards
In 2000, he was honored by U.S. -based "East West Institute" think tank with the Statesman of the Year award together with the Greek Minister of Foreign AffairsMinister for Foreign Affairs (Greece)
The Minister for Foreign Affairs is the senior minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece, established on 3 April 1833. The current Minister for Foreign Affairs, since 11 November 2011 is the former European Commissioner Stavros Dimas...
George Papandreou
George Andreas Papandreou
Georgios A. Papandreou , commonly anglicised to George and shortened to Γιώργος in Greek, is a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece following his party's victory in the 2009 legislative election...
for fostering closer relations between the two nations.
External links
- Biography, Can Press
- Fransa'daki Türkler toplu suç işlemeli, Can Dündar's Web site
- Biography, Istanbul Bilgi University Press
- Remarks with Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ismail Cem, Secretary Colin L. Powell, U.S. State Department.