UNDERSTANDING RULE OF LAW/SUPREMACY OF LAW AND UNDERLYING OBSTACLES IN TURKEY AND AROUND THE WORLD

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. I’ve never heard a country say (at least in modern times; the cultural
revolution may be the exception), “We reject the rule of law,” although by their
actions some countries have done so. My goal is to provide some additional
perspective on the Rule of Law for discussion and deliberations here. I will start
with some of the major obstacles, and then make a few comments regarding my
impressions about Turkey and the Rule of Law as compared to other countries.
There are three major obstacles that I will discuss briefly today: Defining the rule
of law, developing rule of law culture, and legal structure to support rule of law.
Let me start with the definitional problem.