In an address to an international counter-insurgency conference in
Israel on Sept. 13, Pipes said the Turkish referendum marked a major step
toward the transformation of the NATO member into an Islamic state. He said
this would harm Turkish relations with the West.
"This will have significant repercussions for counter-terrorism," Pipes,
a former State Department official, said. "This is a strategic event."
About 58 percent of Turks approved 26 amendments to the constitution,
which was drafted following the military coup in 1980. One amendment would
allow Erdogan's party a major say in the appointment of judges.
"This is a dark moment in history," Turkish opposition leader Devlet
Bahceli said.
The analysts said the referendum would galvanize Erdogan ahead of
parliamentary elections scheduled for 2011. They said Erdogan would
intensify his pro-Islamic foreign policy, including reconciliation with
neighboring Iran and Syria.
"Nobody can stand in the way of Erdogan now," Turkish analyst Mehmet
Yilmaz said. "What Turkey will see now is a series of steps that will turn
him into [Russian President Vladimir] Putin."