İsmail Cem
İsmail Cem was a Turkish centre-leftist politician, intellectual, writer, author and journalist who served as the Minister of Culture of Turkey from July 7 to October 26, 1995, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey from June 30, 1997 to July 11, 2002.
Background
İsmail Cem finished high school at Robert College in İstanbul in 1959 and graduated from the Law School at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland in 1963. He had his master's degree in sociology of politics at the École Libre des Sciences Politiques in 1983, 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 after Işık Koleji.Cem was the cousin of murdered liberal-leftist journalist, intellectual and human rights activist Abdi İpekçi, the editor in chief for then centre-leftist Milliyet newspaper. Cem 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 and his mother Zerife. İsmail Cem was an avid photographer, and held four photo exhibits in his lifetime, 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 who published articles and became a columnist for Milliyet, Cumhuriyet and Politika, where he served as the editor in chief for the second newspaper from 1964 until 1966. Between 1971 and 1974, he served as the chief of the Istanbul office within the Turkish Newspaper Workers Union. In 1974–1975, he acted as the general manager of the state-owned Turkish Radio and Television Corporation under the 37th and 38th governments. 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.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 within the 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 theorized methods for the revitalization of Turkish left. Among his books are Turkiye'de Geri Kalmışlığın Tarihi, one of the most acclaimed books in the field of social sciences in Turkey and Sosyal Demokrasi Nedir?, Ne Değildir?, 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 AKP's Islamism and the debate of reformation in Turkish left. He is also labeled as the visionary of the . A more detailed bibliography of his works can be found below.Political career
Early parliamentary career (1987-1995)
Cem entered politics after being elected deputy of Istanbul from the Kadıköy district in the general elections held in 1987. He was re-elected in 1991 again from Istanbul and in 1995 from Kayseri.His early political career was marked by his social democratic ideology and his role as one of the prominent theorists of social democracy in Turkey. During this period, he wrote extensively on Turkey's political and economic development, publishing influential works including Türkiye'de Geri Kalmışlığın Tarihi and Sosyal Demokrasi Nedir?, Ne Değildir?.
Presidential candidacy and party switch
After the death of President Turgut Özal in 1993, Cem ran for president without success, reflecting his growing political ambitions and national prominence. This unsuccessful bid demonstrated the limitations he faced within the existing political framework of the Republican People's Party.In 1995, Cem made a significant political decision by leaving the Republican People's Party and joining the Democratic Left Party led by Bülent Ecevit. This move marked a turning point in his career, as it positioned him closer to the center of power and aligned him with Ecevit's more pragmatic approach to social democracy.
Minister of Culture (1995)
Following his party switch, Cem was appointed Minister of Culture on July 7, 1995, serving until October 26, 1995, in the coalition government led by Tansu Çiller. Though his tenure was brief, lasting only three months, this position provided him with valuable ministerial experience and demonstrated his capability in government administration.Minister of Foreign Affairs (1997-2002)
Cem's most significant political role came when he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs on June 30, 1997, a position he held until July 11, 2002. His five-year tenure made him the fourth longest-serving foreign minister in Turkish history and coincided with a period of significant geopolitical change following the end of the Cold War.During his time as foreign minister, Cem served under three different governments, demonstrating remarkable political longevity and the confidence placed in his diplomatic abilities. His foreign policy approach was characterized by a multi-dimensional strategy that sought to balance Turkey's traditional Western orientation with expanded engagement in neighboring regions.
European Union relations
Cem's most notable achievement was his role in securing Turkey's status as a candidate for European Union membership. He was largely credited with Turkey's declaration as a full member candidate during the Helsinki Summit in December 1999. This breakthrough came after intensive negotiations with EU officials, including a crucial overnight diplomatic mission to Ankara by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and European Commissioner Günter Verheugen to finalize the details.His approach to EU relations was both pragmatic and visionary. Despite being a strong advocate for Turkish EU membership, Cem maintained realistic expectations about the challenges ahead, acknowledging the complex nature of the accession process while working tirelessly to advance Turkey's European integration.
Greek-Turkish rapprochement
One of Cem's most significant diplomatic achievements was the improvement of historically tense Turkish-Greek relations. Working closely with his Greek counterpart George Papandreou, Cem initiated what became known as "earthquake diplomacy" following the devastating earthquakes that struck both countries in 1999.The relations between the two countries had reached an all-time low after the Abdullah Öcalan affair, in which Greek officials were involved in harboring the PKK leader. However, Cem and Papandreou, both foreign-educated intellectuals who eschewed nationalist rhetoric, managed to build personal trust and initiated a step-by-step rapprochement process.
Their cooperation resulted in the signing of five bilateral agreements in January 2000, covering areas such as maritime cooperation, combating organized crime, and economic collaboration. In recognition of their joint efforts, both Cem and Papandreou received the "Statesman of the Year" award from the US-based East West Institute in 2000.
Formation of New Turkey Party (2002)
Cem's political career took another dramatic turn in 2002 when he resigned from the DSP due to growing disputes with party leader Bülent Ecevit over policy direction and political strategy. On July 20, 2002, ahead of the 2002 parliamentary elections, he founded the New Turkey Party together with former DSP colleagues Hüsamettin Özkan and Zeki Eker.As the leader of YTP, Cem positioned the party as a pro-reform, center-left alternative that could bridge Turkey's traditional political divisions. The party advocated for continued EU integration, economic modernization, and democratic reforms. However, despite Cem's personal popularity and recognition, especially among young voters, the YTP failed to achieve significant electoral success in the 2002 general elections.
Later political activities
Following the poor electoral performance of YTP, Cem dissolved the party on October 24, 2004. He subsequently joined the Social Democratic People's Party in 2004, continuing his commitment to social democratic politics until his death in 2007.During his final years, Cem served as chief advisor to Deniz Baykal, the leader of CHP, and taught Applied Foreign Politics of Turkey at Istanbul Bilgi University. Even in his academic role, he remained an influential voice in Turkish foreign policy discourse, continuing to advocate for Turkey's European integration and multi-dimensional foreign policy approach.
Throughout his political career, Cem was particularly admired by young people in Turkey, with polls indicating that many young Turks desired to see him as President of Turkey. His intellectual approach to politics, combined with his pragmatic diplomacy and vision for Turkey's modernization, made him a respected figure across party lines and established his legacy as one of Turkey's most accomplished foreign ministers.
Later political career and illness
After a dispute with the party leader Bülent Ecevit, he resigned from the Democratic Left Party ahead of 2002 parliamentary elections and formed the New Turkey Party on 20 July 2002 together with his former party colleague Hüsamettin Özkan and Zeki Eker. 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 pulmonary cancer, he closed YTP on 24 October 2004, joining the CHP, despite newly affiliated with the SDHP until his death. 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 Trak, and the couple had a daughter, İpek Cem Taha, and a son, Kerim Cem.
Funeral
İsmail Cem died on 24 January 2007 in İstanbul after suffering for two years from lung cancer. He was honored with a state funeral, 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.