Nicole Pope and Nicola Pope -- Turkey unveiled
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This book takes up Turkish history in the early part of the 20th
century, just as modern Turkey was being formed and defined.  So,
while it does not cover an immense historical period, so much has
happened in Turkey during that time that this makes a fascinating
reading.  If you are not interested in Turkey when you start reading
this book, you are very likely to become so.  If you already were,
you will become more so.

A few of the topics that you will learn about:

- The formation of Turkey and it's modern borders.  The campaign by
  the Young Turks to take Turkey back.

- Process by which south-western Turkey was taken back from Greeks
  who lived there.

- The Armenian massacres -- Why and how Turkey has not been able to
  deal with this after all these years.  The authors give what seems
  like a balanced account of the atrocities and why and how they
  happened.  You'll learn a bit about the violence committed by
  those on the radical Armenian side, too.

- Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and how he modernized Turkey -- This process
  was so audacious and so important to the formation and character
  of modern Turkey.  Whether you are pro-secular or anti-secular,
  these changes are so important to understanding Turkey.

- The Cyprus issue -- Why there are still both Greeks and Turks on
  Cyprus and why that division has not been solved.

- The role of the military in Turkey's politics -- There have been
  "tanks in the streets" at several times, even in recent Turkish
  history.  A recent military take-over occurred in the early
  1980's.  It had a stabilizing influence, but there are those who
  object to it's imposition of secularism.

- Turkey's economy and finances -- A re-scheduling of Turkey's
  foreign debt became a guide for Turkish economic policy in the
  1980's.  Turkey has prospered economically, but, in part because
  of population growth, it still has a long way to go on the path to
  providing a decent standard of living for most of it's citizens.

- There are divisions within Turkey that seem unresolvable: (1)
  between the secularists and Islamists who want religion to have
  more influence in the government; (2) between Sunni Muslims and
  Alevi Muslims; (3) between the Kurds (who want more recognition of
  their culture) and the central government (possibly fearing a move
  toward separatism).

Turkey and its political groups are, at times, wild and violent.  It
is almost that Turkey *needs* the military to take back control and
to restore order, from time to time, even though these interventions
have a heavy price.

The account given in this book of recent activity by political
parties in Turkey shows (1) that they are moving toward a
liberalization of the restrictions on religion in culture and
politics and (2) that women are taking and taking a more active part
in Turkish politics (thought more in the role of foot soldiers than
as powerful members of the government).  Turkey watchers can expect
to see interesting times ahead with respect to both of these
movements.

The last chapters of the book tell two important stories: (1) the
formation of Turkey's contemporary political parties and (2) the
dialog and dispute over secularism and the integration of Islam into
politics.  As I write this (Sept. 12, 2010), the AKP, Turkey's
current ruling party, has gained approval in drafting a new
constitution.  That vote is likely to be taken as approval for a
role of moderate Islam in the Turkish political process and a vote
against hard-line secularism.

If you still need a reason for reading this book, think about the
importance of Turkey as a rational actor in the Middle East and
think about the possible significance of this vote in re-introducing
religion back into the politics of Turkey.

09/15/2010

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