The rise of turkish barbers
Turkey which has always held an important position in global affairs has become even prominent on the international stage as an economic power and a harbinger of political Islam. The rise of the turkish empire During than ten years in power an unprecedented tenure Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamist Justice and Development Party AKP have expanded Turkey s trade diplomatic ties and cultural exports to transform the country from an economically disadvantaged secular state into the first large Muslim nation with a middle class majority Erdogan has asserted Turkish influence in high stakes high profile foreign issues from Gaza to Egypt to Syria often breaking ranks with his NATO allies Today from the caf s of the Arab world to the boardrooms of the G 20 Turkey suddenly matters. The rise of turkish barbers The Rise of Turkey The Twenty First Century s First Muslim Power is a guide to the country s changes both in its inspiring national potential and in the grave challenges it poses to regional affairs Structured as a travelogue each chapter opens on a different Turkish city and captures a new theme of Turkey s transformation From the Kurdish issue to foreign policy Soner Cagaptay argues that Turkey needs to successfully balance its Muslim identity with its Western orientation in order to solidify its position as a regional and global power The Rise of Turkey The Twenty First Century s First Muslim PowerThis book is not a very deep look at Turkey but it offers a nice blend of boosterism and caution Overall it gives a good account of the past few decade s ascendance of the Turkish state and makes predictions about what that will mean for Turkey for Europe and for the region If you are interested in having a good surface understanding of Turkey right now then this is a good place to start 184 Valuable insights 184 An interesting book but also with a political view that not all agree on Not finished so I will conclude later 184 This short and concise book effectively explains the rise of islamic based AKP political elan within last decade in Turkey boom of economic growth and shifting of foreign politics orientation knitted with its concomitances and problems These excerpts tell a little Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire modern Turkey became a nation state turning toward Europe and abandoning the Middle East During the last 2 decades along with Turkey s record breaking economic growth trebled GDP its foreign policy has shifted It is no longer a poor country desperately seeking accession to the EU Indeed as politi cal turmoil paralyzes the Middle East and economic meltdown devastates much of Mediterranean Europe Turkey together with France is the only country in the region that has been spared Prior to the Arab Spring Turkey s foreign policy had shifted away from Europe building Turkey infuence in the Middle East After coming to power in 2002 the AKP cultivated ties with former Ottoman lands in the Middle East The hope was that this would jump start integration between Turkey and its neighbors creating something like the 1950s Benelux bloc of Belgium the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The rise of turkish nationalism And on the approach to secularism Arab s neighborhoodSince 2002 Ataturk s French inspired model promoting freedom from religion in government education and poli tics has collapsed Instead the AKP and its allies have promoted a softer form of secularism that allows for freedom of religion This has made the Turkish model appealing to socially conservative Arab countries especially post Arab Springs where Turkey aims to rise up as regional leader. The rise of the turkish empire However the path of economic ascendancy combined with maintaining popular islamic identity has come with a cost rising of social conservatism intolerance familiar problems with a Muslim majority country like Indonesia lately It can be understood that Islamic parties tend to use social conservatism as fuel for its political vehicles. The rise of turkish nationalism A fact that is missing to most observers of politics in Muslim countries and in fact to most Muslims and Turks is that conservatism and religiosity are not conjoined twins One can be religious and not conservative or conservative but not religious Yet the akp defnes the two as interchangeable in the Turkish context. The rise of turkish barbers A truly valuable lesson for other Muslim countries who want to emulate the Turkey model 184 To prepare for a 10 day trip to Turkey that s of a get to know the people and culture visit than a vacation I wanted to get up to speed on current politics and challenges in this Muslim majority country on the edge of Europe This book was absolutely perfect for that purpose The author is very knowledgeable with excellent credentials The writing style is straightforward and clear like most articles in Foreign Policy It takes us right up to the brink of 2014 so it does not include the election of former prime minister Erdogan to the presidency but it makes many references to that then upcoming election While this book might seem dated in just a few years especially after the situation in Syria is resolved for now it provides a satisfying introduction to Turkey s 21st century political climate ethnic and religious factions economic success allies and enemies and relationship to the EU It leaves out most of the country s pre Ataturk history only bringing in the residual effects of the Ottoman empire on today s residents and neighbors of Turkey It spends a lot of time on the Kurds about whom I now feel much knowledgeable and the Alevis about whom I knew nothing before this Most important I think is the clarity in explaining how and why Turkey s earlier desire to join the EU has largely waned 184 Pretty basic overview of recent developments in Turkey over the past decade and a half except that the book was published in 2014 before a wave of political unrest struck the country The book is very positive and boosterish but also makes warns of a number of dangers that appear to have borne out None of the information will be particularly new to anyone with a familiarity of Turkish politics and history this is of a policy handbook than a book in the traditional sense 184 I was expecting this book to have a comprehensive analysis of Turkey s modern economic history the book failed to do that There was a lot of what Turkey could be than it actually is The basic premise of the book is that Turkey is shifting toward East economically and politically Whereas since 1920s the emphasis was to get close to Europe economically and politically now Turkey is paying attention to Middle East and rest of the Islamic world The book implies it s the best political and economic model that Islamic and particularly Arab world could ask for One interesting thing that I found in this book was non existent of Azarbijan and other Central Asian reppublics with whom Turkey has strong cultural and economic ties instead the book mostly focuses on Arab world vis a vis Turkey. Rise of turkish empire The author does a good job of explaining Turkish political scene however anyone who follows Turkey can detect that there is clear attempt to minimize the Kurdish issue The author struggle to explain how the so called Turkish democracy is different from authoritarian dictatorships when it comes to its treatment of Kurds. Rise of turkish empire It is true that Turkey might become an upper middle or rich county in the near future but it s not the only Muslim majority country in that category The question is if Turkey s democracy with the rising economy truly make it an exceptional country The recent trends point to the opposition direction when it comes to democracy and minority rights 184 A good primer of what has led to the creation of present day Turkey and thoughtful primer of how and why Recep Erdogan has risen to the level of power he holds today Clearly Turkey is emerging as both a critical power in the region and a perplexing ally to the West and NATO specifically Soner Cagaptay s book is a must read to help unravel the mystery of the rise of Turkey 184 The book was an enjoyable read giving a very clear overview of Turkey s past current environment and the path forward. The rise of turkish barbers The relationship Turkey has with its ancestors and neighbours were relayed in such a concise flavour shining light on the current events in the Middle East. The rise of turkish nationalism It was part history part international relations relayed in very interesting literature, Rise of turkish empire A very pleasurable book indeed 184
Soner Cagaptay is the Beyer Family Fellow and director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute..
