Angry Nation: Turkey since 1989

by Kerem Öktem, Nicholas Guyatt (Editor)

Overview

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 turbaned 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 turbaning 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781848132108
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/10/2011
Series:	Global History of the Present
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Kerem Öktem is a research fellow at the European Studies Centre, St Antony's College and lectures the politics of the Middle East at the Oriental Institute.
Kerem Öktem is a research fellow at the European Studies Centre, St Antony's College and lectures the politics of the Middle East at the Oriental Institute.

Table of Contents

Introduction
The workings of the guardian state - Life-world transformations

Part 1. Empire and Nation: The Late Ottoman State and the Turkish Republic before 1980
1. Reform and Imperial Dissolution
Loss of sovereignty - Reform to save the state - Ideological experiment and nationalist endpoint

2. The Kemalist One Party-State (1920s - 1946)
Imperialist designs and nationalist resistance - Ideology and revolution: The discourse of the new republic - Citizenship, ethnicity, religion: The 'others' of the republic - Faultlines: The contradictions of the republic

3. The Guardian State's Incomplete Democracy (1946 - 1980)
The emergence of conservative democracy: Cadres and policies - The guardian state in action against the Democrats - Political chaos and military takeover

Part 2: The Özal Years: Rupture, Promise and Missed Chances (1980 - 1991)
4. Silence and Torture: 12 September 1980
Tabula rasa: Minarets and monuments - The roots of the Kurdish War

5. Motherland Promise: Wealth and Stability
Liberalising the economy, 'cutting the corners' - Özal's new man and the 'Dallas model' - Pushing the boundaries: The beginnings of civil society

6. Re-Engagement with the World: The US, Europe and 1989
International isolation and civilian return - The harbingers of 1989 - Restoring Turkey's neighbourhood

Part 3. The 'Lost Decade': Wars, Crises and Weak Coalitions (1991 - 2002)
7. State of Emergency in the East: The Kurdish War in the 1990s
The policy of scorched earth - The urbanisation of the Kurdish war - Foreign policy without vision

8. Fighting Terror: The Guardian State in Western Turkey
The Alevi massacres: S?vas and Gazi - The Manisa trial and the state of human rights - First crash of the guardian state: The Susurluk incident - A brief interlude of Vox populi

9. Post-modern Coups and Cracks in the System (1997 - 2001)
The 'post-modern' coup of 28 February 1997 - Capturing Öcalan - Killing tremors: The Marmara earthquake (August 1999)

10. Crises, Hopes and Saviours (2000 - 2002)
A national crisis: The turmoil of 2000 and 2001 - A world crisis: 9/11 and the clash of civilisations

Part 4. Justice and Development: 'Islamic Calvinists' versus the Guardian State (2002 - 2007)
11. Islamic Calvinists in Office
The sources of AKP power: Islamic Calvinists and the Gülen network - Tayyip Erdo?an, terror and the 'War on terror' - Negotiating the European promise

12. War and Peace in Kurdistan
The ?emdinli affair - The end of the 'Kurdish spring' - Counter-terrorism and children

13. Memory and Reality: The Return of the Guardians
Remembering 1915 - The murder of Hrant Dink - The republic marches - The ballot box as remedy

Part 5. Another Nation: Moving Towards the Present (2007-2010)
14. The Guardian State Exposed
The Ergenekon trials - The Young Civilians are displeased

15. Home Affairs: Kurdish, Alevi and Human Rights
Local elections and electoral fine-tuning - The 'Kurdish Opening'

16. Engaging with the World
Soft power and strategic depth - The limits of strategy: Israel, Iran and ArmeniaThe limits of Europe

17. Turkey's Possible Futures

Sources - Interview Partners - Further Reading on Turkey - Literature - Overview of Important Political Parties in Turkey - Literature - Overview of Important Political Parties in Turkey - Key Moments in Turkey's History - Turkey Before 1980 - Turkey Since 1980

Editorial Reviews

Kerem Oktem has written a compelling book about an indispensable nation - and done both scholarship and modern Turkey a true service.” —David Hayes, openDemocracy

“An unusually lucid and well-structured account of developments in Turkey since the end of the Cold War.” —Elisabeth Özdalga, Director of the Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul

“Oktem carefully maps out all the public discourses and significant key moments in excellent prose.” —Fatma Müge Göçek, University of Michigan

“An admirably clear and well-researched account of the recent history of a complex, conflict-ridden and fascinating country. Essential reading.” —Margaret MacMillan, Oxford University

From the Publisher