This book analyzes the transformation of Turkey’s international and domestic politics in the past two decades through a comprehensive domestic- international nexus. It examines the domestic system and the main historical challenges without neglecting their international drivers and looks into main foreign policy areas and issues by accounting for the domestic developments that affected them. Looking inside Turkey’s transformation on the basis of an interplay of external and internal factors, through the prism of critical scholars who all agree on the interdependency of national and international politics, it is designed to provide a thoughtful look into the future of Turkey through themes and regions.

At the start of the century Turkey maintains its ceaseless search for closer links with Europe. The essential mission of the Republic created by Mustafa Kemal after the First World War was the modernization of Turkey in accordance with the Western secular and democratic model. In Helsinki at the turn of the century Turkey was finally accepted as a candidate for EU membership and now hopes for, and expects, a new future. With this future in mind the authors of the studies in this book consider how prepared in various fields Turkey now is for the transformation in which it is engaged. Turkey's path in the twenty-first century will not be easy. There are serious issues to be faced in the management of the economy. In politics there are human rights and other problems deeply affecting Turkish democracy, and a Kurdish reality with which to come to terms. There are the problems to be faced of a revived Islam, the forward role of the military in its self-styled role as defender of the secular state, the need for the reform of the state's bureaucracy, the preservation of national unity, and the reform and development of turkey's democratic structure. Internationally Turkey lives in a volatile Middle Eastern and Central Asian environment, but one with which she has to deal politically and economically, particularly as Caspian and other energy sources are vital. Internally there are movements of population that are disrupting established social structures. These changes are reflected in literature and in the media. A new transformation is underway in Turkey. This book throws light on major factors of change in Turkish economics, politics and society. It uniquely pulls together Turkish experience over a wide area. It is promoted by the Turkish Area Study Group. - Back cover.

This edited volume explores human security challenges in the context of Turkey. Turkey occupies a critical geopolitical position between Europe, the Middle East and the Caucasus. It is an important peace-broker in regional conflicts and a leading country in peacekeeping operations, and has been a generous donor for disaster response around the world. However, Turkey is also facing a number of fundamental sociocultural and development challenges and its internal stability is affected by a protracted armed conflict based on Kurdish separatism. In other words, Turkey is at a crossroads in its transformation from a state-centred security perspective to one based on human security. To explore selected human security challenges within a wider context of peace and development, this volume focuses on a number of key issues in relation to democratization and social cohesion, before going on to investigate the role of Turkey as an agent of peace in the international context. Written by academics from the fields of peace studies, international relations, politics and development studies, the discussions examine and highlight the issues that Turkey must overcome if it is to successfully strengthen its human security trajectories in the near future. This book will be of much interest to students of human security, Turkish politics, conflict management, peace studies and IR in general.

Turkey is positioned to become the twenty-first centuryÆs first Muslim power. Based on a dynamic economy and energetic foreign policy, TurkeyÆs growing engagement with other countries has made it a key player in the newly emerging multidirectional world order. TurkeyÆs trade patterns and societal interaction with other nations have broadened and deepened dramatically in the past decade, transforming Turkey from a Cold War outpost into a significant player internationally. TurkeyÆs ascendance and the changes that have taken place under the leadership of TurkeyÆs Muslim conservative government have prompted its policymakers to craft a new vision of their role in twenty-first-century society. This developing worldview animates TurkeyÆs desire to sometimes take the lead with its co-religionists and occasionally challenge its partners in the West, while showing no inclination to become an irresponsible rising power. If it can consolidate liberal democracy at home, Turkey could also assume the role of serving as an example for the newly emerging governments brought about by the Arab Spring. The cornerstone of TurkeyÆs rise has been the governmentÆs ability to foster stable political conditions for economic growth, alongside a foreign policy that balances TurkeyÆs Muslim identity with its Western overlay, including its strong ties to the United States. Accordingly, policies that could tarnish TurkeyÆs reputation as a bastion of stability risk undermining its position between Europe, the United States, and the Middle East. This realization has been the catalyst for Ankara's careful management of Eastern and Western desires and expectations. The result is a new Turkey: a twenty-first-century Muslim power that promotes stability without the confines of a regional, European rubric.

Turkey's Enagement with Modernity explores how the country has been shaped in the image of the Kemalist project of nationalist modernity and how it has transformed, if erratically, into a democratic society where tensions between religion, state and society continue unabated.

Turkey’s new presidential regime, promoted and shaped by the Justice and Development Party (AKP), has become a global template for rising authoritarianism. Its violence intensifi es the exigency for critical analysis. By focusing on neoliberal authoritarian, hegemonic and Islamist aspects, this book sheds light on long- term dynamics that resulted in the regime transformation. It presents a comprehensive study at a time when rising authoritarianism challenges liberal democracies on a global scale. Reaching from critical political economy and state theory to media, gender and cultural studies, this volume covers a range of studies that transcend disciplinary boundaries. These essays challenge the narrative of an "authoritarian turn" that splits the AKP era into democratic and authoritarian periods. Hence, recent transformation is analyzed in a broad historical framework which is sensitive to both continuities and shifts. Studies that explore moments of resistance and relate the political development in Turkey to rising authoritarianism and the crisis- driven trajectory of neoliberalism on a global scale are included in this effort. Since the advancement of neoliberal policies in conjunction with the religious project that is pushed forward by the AKP suggests that the ongoing transformation may well advance into a more totalitarian regime, this book strives to inform struggles that are trying to resist and reverse this development. By reviewing the dynamics and impacts of recent authoritarian developments, it calls on critical scholars to further seek out potentials and dynamics of opposition in the current authoritarian era.

In 1923, the Modern Turkish Republic rose from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire, proclaiming a new era in the Middle East. However, many of the contemporary issues affecting Turkish state and society today have their roots not only in the in the history of the republic, but in the historical and political memory of the state's imperial history. Here Fatma Muge Gocek draws on Turkey's Ottoman heritage and history to explore current issues of ethnicity and religion alongside Turkey's international position. This new perspective on history's influence on contemporary tensions in Turkey will contribute to the ongoing debate surrounding Turkey's accession to the EU, and offers insight into the social transformations in the transition from Ottoman Empire to Turkish Nation-State. This analysis will be vital to those involved in the study of the Middle East Imperial History and Turkey's relations with the West.

Turkish Economy at the Crossroads: Facing the Challenges Ahead is an exciting new volume of articles from prominent experts, edited by two distinguished economists. Despite its international stature and its diversified open-market economy, the global literature on Turkey is dispersed and sparse. The book aims to remedy this shortcoming by providing readers interested in Turkey with a balanced and up-to-date overview of the economy.Topics discussed include trends in long-term political economy, post-2001 macroeconomic policies, tradable and non-tradable sectors and their impact on income distribution, capital flows and financial imbalances, success and problems of structural transformation at the micro level, characteristics of the labor markets with special emphasis on female employment, Turkey's long lasting but difficult relations with the European Union and possible scenarios for the near future. This unified approach permits to highlight and tackle effectively the challenges and risks Turkey faces in the final and critical stage of transition to a modern developed society.

Turkey, with a robust modern economy and growing energy needs, is pursuing a switch to nuclear power. But that shift is occurring in an environment fraught with security challenges: Turkey borders Iraq, Syria, and Iran—all states with nuclear or WMD ambitions or capabilities. As a NATO member, Turkey also hosts U.S. nuclear bombs on its territory, although some question the durability of this relationship. This dynamic has naturally led to speculation that Turkish leaders might someday consider moving beyond a civilian course to develop nuclear weapons. Yet there has been remarkably little informed analysis and debate on Turkey's nuclear future, either within the country or in broader international society. This volume explores the current status and trajectory of Turkey's nuclear program, adding historical perspective, analytical rigor, and strategic insight.