Author(s): Nicole and Hugh Pope

Asia

In this work, the authors offer a picture of 20th-century Turkey and its formative past: the strengths and weaknesses of the Ottomans, the Armenian tragedy, the Kurdish struggle, and the controversial legacy of the brilliant but autocratic founder of the Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. They also examine the new leaders such as the late Turgut Ozal and Tansu Ciller, who broke taboos, ushered in new freedoms and led their formerly introverted country onto the international stage. Lastly, they explain how the new Islamist-led government constitutes not a revolution but perhaps a fresh synthesis with the past.