Turkish transformation. New century – new challenges

Book abstract:

If the geopolitical map may be divided along east-west lines then Turkey stands at the gateway in both geo and political aspects and is subjected to strains from within and without as it struggles to determine its role in the post cold war arena. This book deals with those struggles and how they have impacted upon Turkish politics, economics and society. Chapters one and two provide a background introduction and in chapter three the discussion moves to the changed nature of Turkey's population mix. The interaction of new political groupings is explored in chapters four and five whilst Turkish literature and the role of the media are the subjects of the following two chapters. Economic issues and failings of economic management are addressed in chapter eight with commentary on the plans for recovery and the significance of economic progress in social and political development. Closer study of the political issues and the multiparty system with the Turkish tendency towards oligarchic leadership is made in chapter nine. The civil service and administration are seen as both the accelerator and the brake pedal of political progress and reform of which aspects are discussed in chapter ten. Turkey's foreign policy in the post Soviet Union collapse era and it's proximity to the oil-rich and politically disturbed Middle East is the focus of chapter eleven and the discussion moves on to the European dimension in chapter twelve. The book will interest students, scholars and policy researchers in the fields of International Affairs, Middles Eastern politics and European Studies. Brian Beeley is currently Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Open University, United Kingdom and tutored in Modern Turkish Studies at the London School of Oriental and African Studies.