The aftermath of the 22 July 2009 election : economic development versus language rights -- The closure cases against the AKP and DTP : Ergenekon and mother tongue education -- Islamists versus Kurdish nationalism -- Renewed intensified armed conflict -- Differences among Kurdish nationalist movements and increased campaign rhetoric -- The "war of words" takes center stage -- Into 2009 : Ergenekon atrocities and the election -- The Davos dèmarche and its aftermath -- The campaign heats up and spreads to the Kurdistan regional government -- Into the home stretch -- Week to go.

“Collier has made a substantial contribution to current discussions. His evidence-based approach is a worthwhile corrective to the assumptions about democracy that too often tend to dominate when Western policy makers talk about the bottom billion.” —The New York Times Book Review “Before President Obama makes a move he would do well to read Professor Paul Collier’s Wars, Guns, and Votes. . . Unlike many academics Collier comes up with very concrete proposals and some ingenious solutions.” — The Times (London) In Wars, Guns, and Votes, esteemed author Paul Collier offers a groundbreaking, radical look at the world’s most violent, corrupt societies, how they got that way, and what can be done to break the cycle. George Soros calls Paul Collier “one of the most original minds in the world today,” and Wars, Guns, and Votes, like Collier’s previous award-winning book The Bottom Billion, is essential reading for anyone interested in current events, war, poverty, economics, or international business.

Conducting elections in India is a mammoth task, compounded by the sheer scale, size, and diversities in this country. Millions of people are involved in ensuring that this exercise is conducted smoothly. This anthology presents stories of gift, sacrifice, hope, creativity, enthusiasm, and the diversity of experiences that showcase the picture of the story of elections in India.

The Bible, the Bullet, and the Ballot provides a balanced account of the role of Christians, Christian organisations, and churches in sociopolitical transformation over the bedrock of colonial and nationalist politics in the past century in Zimbabwe. Fabulous Moyo explores the broader social and political impact of prominent African Christian clergy who were sociopolitical activists such as Ndabaningi Sithole, Abel Muzorewa, and Canaan Banana. It also highlights the role of missionaries who contributed to the African struggle for independence such as Ralph Edward Dodge, Donal Lamont, and Garfield Todd. He examines the contributions of African nationalist parties and prominent politicians with Christian roots, such as Joshua Nkomo and Robert Mugabe, in the struggle for independence, and their contribution in the postcolonial era in light of their Christian heritage and the collective pre-independence nationalist ideals on nation-building and national unity.

What constitutes an effective and realistic strategy for dealing with non-state armed groups? This question has bedevilled states the world over. From Colombia and FARC, Turkey and the PKK, the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the persistent insurgency in Iraq – the governments concerned struggle to either fight or negotiate their way to an end. Fighting armed groups is an uncertain business, and so is negotiating. Doing both alternately, concurrently or selectively, is highly demanding. This book develops a framework to help analysts and policymakers understand the challenges of using a combination of coercion and diplomacy in dealing with armed groups. It considers which complexities have proved most inhibiting, and which have been worked around. What are the obvious traps that states fall into? What appear to be the smarter moves? Thinking in terms or ‘military’ or ‘political’ solutions is unhelpful – to be genuinely strategic, a response must concern itself with managing the mix. Ten examples from around the world are worked through to examine this theme. The net is cast wide purposefully, so that the lessons for strategy can be made explicit, rather than lost amid a bloody contemporary history of wars involving armed groups.

This collection examines what happens when one country’s experience of dealing with its traumatic past is held up as a model for others to follow. In regional and country studies covering Argentina, Canada, Japan, Lebanon, Rwanda, Russia, Turkey, the United States and former Yugoslavia, the authors look at the pitfalls, misunderstandings and perverse effects–but also the promise–of trying to replicate atonement. Going beyond the idea of a global or transnational memory, this book examines the significance of foreign models in atonement practices, and analyses the role of national governments, international organisations, museums, foundations, NGOs and public intellectuals in shaping the idea that good practices of atonement can be learned. The volume also demonstrates how one can productively learn from others by appreciating the complex and contested nature of atonement practices such as Germany’s, and also by finding the necessary resources in the history of one’s own country.

Peace in Turkey 2023: The Question of Human Security and Conflict Transformation, by Tim Jacoby and Alpaslan zerdem, explores how the Kurdish conflict could possibly be transformed towards positive peace. By drawing on peace, conflict transformation and human security theories, Peace in Turkey 2023 seeks to redress a long-felt concern in Turkey: how to address the current challenge of establishing sustainable peace in the country. What will Turkey look like at its Republic's centenary celebrations in 2023? Will it be able to resolve the Kurdish crisis through peaceful means and successfully transform the conflict towards positive peace? Will it be a country of peace, prosperity, rule of law, and democracy, or will the current violence intensify and continue to polarize society? To address these questions, Jacoby and zerdem use scenario-writing derived from peace theory to highlight new ways to consider political violence and the future of Turkey, this study will appeal to both specialist and non-specialist students and teachers from a diverse range of disciplinary backgrounds.

In recent years, there has been growing interest in Turkey, stemming from the country’s developing role in regional and global politics, its expanding economic strength, and its identity as a predominantly Muslim country with secular political institutions and democratic processes. This Handbook provides a comprehensive and wide-ranging profile of modern Turkey. Bringing together original contributions from leading scholars with a wide range of backgrounds, this important reference work gives a unique in-depth survey of Turkish affairs, past and present. Thematically organised sections cover: Turkish history from the early Ottoman period to the present Turkish culture Politics and international relations Social issues Geography The Turkish economy and economics Presenting diverse and often competing views on all aspects of Turkish history, politics, society, culture, geography, and economics, this handbook will be an essential reference tool for students and scholars of Middle East studies, comparative politics, and culture and society.

In the aftermath of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Kurds were promised their own state. However, several factors meant that this dream never became a reality, and the land of the Kurds was divided. Amid a sense of a loss of identity, the Kurds started to fight for their social and political rights. ‘Kurdish Politics in Turkey’ argues that the Kurdish struggle has largely been a failure, and that the emergence of the Unions of Communities in Kurdistan (KCK) has been a direct result of this. The book examines the success of the KCK and how it has transformed this Kurdish struggle in Turkey from a one-dimensional political movement, to a multi-dimensional social movement.

Examines how the idea of Kurdistan, as a homeland and a source of national identity, was created within international political history.