Publisher Description

Since its re-emergence as nation-state in 1923, Turkey has often looked like an odd appendix to the West situated in the borderlands of Europe and the Middle East, economically backward, inward looking, marred by political violence, yet a staunch NATO ally, it has been eyed with suspicion by both 'East' and 'West'. The momentous changes in the regional and world order after 1989 have catapulted the country back to the world stage. Ever since, Turkey has turned into a major power broker and has developed into one the largest economies in the world. In the process, however, the country has failed to solve its ethnic, religious and historical conflicts peacefully. At this historical turning point, Kerem Oktem charts the contemporary history of Turkey, exploring such key issues as the relationship between religion and the state, Kurdish separatism, Turkey's relationship with Israel and the ongoing controversy over Turkey's entry into the EU. Readable but comprehensive, this is the definitive book on the country's erratic transformation from a military dictatorship to a maturing, if still troubled, democracy.

Author Biography

Kerem A-ktem is Research Fellow at the European Studies Centre, St Antony's College and teaches the Politics of the Middle East at the Oriental Institute. He read Modern Middle Eastern Studies at Oxford, where he also completed his D. Phil. thesis at the School of Geography in 2006. In the thesis, he explored the destruction of imperial space in the Ottoman Empire and the subsequent construction of an exclusively Turkish national territory. His research interests range from the history of nationalism, ethno-politics and minority rights in Turkey to debates on history, memory and trauma, and to Turkey's conflicted relations with Armenia and Greece. More recently, he has started a research project on the emergence of Islam as a central discursive category in European public debates.

Table of Contents

* Introduction* Part I: Empire and Nation: The Late Ottoman State and the Turkish Republic before 1980*1. Reform and Imperial Dissolution*2. The Kemalist One Party-State (1920s - 1946)*3. The Guardian State's Incomplete Democracy (1946 - 1980)* Part II: The Ozal Years: Rupture, Promise and Missed Chances (1980 - 1991)*4. Silence and Torture: 12 September 1980*5. Motherland Promise: Wealth and Stability*6. Re-Engagement with the World: The US, Europe and 1989* Part III: The 'Lost Decade': Wars, Crises and Weak Coalitions (1991 - 2002)*7. State of Emergency in the East: The Kurdish War in the 1990s*8. Fighting Terror: The Guardian State in Western Turkey*9. Post-modern Coups and Cracks in the System (1997 - 2001)*10. Crises, Hopes and Saviours (2000 - 2002)* Part IV: Justice and Development: 'Islamic Calvinists' versus the Guardian State (2002 - 2007)*11. Islamic Calvinists in Office*12. War and Peace in Kurdistan *13. Memory and Reality: The Return of the Guardians* Part V: Another Nation: Moving Towards the Present (2007-2010)*14. The Guardian State Exposed*15. Home Affairs: Kurdish, Alevi and Human Rights*16. Engaging with the World*17. Turkey's Possible Futures

Review

'Since the end of the Cold War, the world order has been redefined with many countries renegotiating their foreign and domestic politics. Kerem A-ktem's meticuolus analysis provides valuable insights into the difficult process the Republic of Turkey has underwent since 1989, a course dictated by ruptures, missed opportunities, new syntheses and gradual erosion through it all of the state control over civil society. A-ktem captures this arduous and very complex two decades of Turkey's recent history extremely thoroughly andeven-handedly: he carefully maps out all the public discourses and significant key moments in excellent prose, making frequent references to the interviews he conducted with significant public intellectuals. I too join A-ktem's concluding wish that Turkey transform into a more liberal, self-confident state of its citizens.' -- Fatma Muge Gocek, The University of Michigan 'This book provides an unusually lucid and well-structured account of developments in Turkey since the end of the Cold War. In a fluent and accessible style, the author addresses the most significant events of the last two decades. The new actors and the challenging issues of this era in Turkish politics are explored against the backdrop of the emergence of modern Turkey since the 19th century. The author is part of a new generation of critical scholars in Turkish studies, for whom cultural issues related to Alevis, Kurds, and Armenians are as important as issues of power politics.' Professor Elisabeth A-zdalga, Director of the Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul 'Turkey's rapid development over the last three decades has added new layers of complexity - political, social, legal, religious, ethnic - to an already formidable mix. This makes Kerem Oktem's forensic and engaging analytical portrait of Turkey since 1980 all the more welcome. In five deft, lucid chapters the author deploys intimate knowledge and illuminating detail to examine the forces shaping the country and contesting its future. The result is a brilliant, assured overview that plunges into a maelstrom of issues surrounded by passionate argument and makes sense of them with cool judgment and an acute sense of balance. Kerem Oktem has written a compelling book about an indispensable nation - and done both scholarship and modern Turkey a true service.' - David Hayes, openDemocracy

Long Description

Since its re-emergence as nation-state in 1923, Turkey has often looked like an odd appendix to the West situated in the borderlands of Europe and the Middle East, economically backward, inward looking, marred by political violence, yet a staunch NATO ally, it has been eyed with suspicion by both 'East' and 'West'. The momentous changes in the regional and world order after 1989 have catapulted the country back to the world stage. Ever since, Turkey has turned into a major power broker and has developed into one the largest economies in the world. In the process, however, the country has failed to solve its ethnic, religious and historical conflicts peacefully.At this historical turning point, Kerem Oktem charts the contemporary history of Turkey, exploring such key issues as the relationship between religion and the state, Kurdish separatism, Turkey's relationship with Israel and the ongoing controversy over Turkey's entry into the EU. Readable but comprehensive, this is the definitive book on the country's erratic transformation from a military dictatorship to a maturing, if still troubled, democracy.

Review Quote

"Since the end of the Cold War, the world order has been redefined with many countries renegotiating their foreign and domestic politics. Kerem Oktem's meticulous analysis provides valuable insights into the difficult process the Republic of Turkey has underwent since 1989, a course dictated by ruptures, missed opportunities, new syntheses and gradual erosion through it all of the state control over civil society. Oktem captures this arduous and very complex two decades of Turkey's recent history extremely thoroughly and even-handedly: he carefully maps out all the public discourses and significant key moments in excellent prose, making frequent references to the interviews he conducted with significant public intellectuals. I too join Oktem's concluding wish that Turkey transform into a more liberal, self-confident state of its citizens." -- Fatma Muge Gocek, The University of Michigan "This book provides an unusually lucid and well-structured account of developments in Turkey since the end of the Cold War. In a fluent and accessible style, the author addresses the most significant events of the last two decades. The new actors and the challenging issues of this era in Turkish politics are explored against the backdrop of the emergence of modern Turkey since the 19th century. The author is part of a new generation of critical scholars in Turkish studies, for whom cultural issues related to Alevis, Kurds, and Armenians are as important as issues of power politics." -- Professor Elisabeth Ozdalga, Director of the Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul "Turkey's rapid development over the last three decades has added new layers of complexity - political, social, legal, religious, ethnic - to an already formidable mix. This makes Kerem Oktem's forensic and engaging analytical portrait of Turkey since 1980 all the more welcome. In five deft, lucid chapters the author deploys intimate knowledge and illuminating detail to examine the forces shaping the country and contesting its future. The result is a brilliant, assured overview that plunges into a maelstrom of issues surrounded by passionate argument and makes sense of them with cool judgment and an acute sense of balance. Kerem Oktem has written a compelling book about an indispensable nation - and done both scholarship and modern Turkey a true service."-- David Hayes, openDemocracy

Promotional "Headline"

Charts the contemporary history of Turkey by looking at the country's erratic transformation from a military dictatorship to a maturing democracy.

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