Since the events of the Arab Spring experts and politicians in the West and in the Islamic world have debated the prospects and the risks of democratization and external democracy promotion in the Islamic World. In this context Muslim, but western-secular Turkey is considered to be a “model” or an “inspiration” for Arab democracies. Nevertheless, Turkey has also been facing the rise of political Islam since the mid-1990s which poses a challenge not only for the normative orientation but also for the material interests of the West and especially the USA and Germany, the two major global donor countries in terms of foreign assistance. My paper addresses the following research questions: (1) How did the US and Germany react on the coming to power and the policy of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), and the power struggle with the Kemalist elites? (2) What are the lessons learned from the case of the USA, Germany and Turkey? I argue that the USA and Germany supported that political force in Turkey which fulfilled at best their own national interests. The political background of the partner, and whether he had religious or secular orientation, were surprisingly of secondary relevance. My paper concludes with theoretical and practical implications for Western democracy promoters in Muslim countries.
