The Unknown

Turkey is an enigma. 99% muslim, with bans on the headscarf in public universities. Democratic, with strong restrictions on free speech. Friendship with the US and Israel on one hand and hospitality towards the leaders of Hamas and uranium deals with Iran on the other. A crossroads between the Balkans and the Caucusus, Europe and the Middle-East, Turkey sometimes seems to be a part of every circle, and other times seems to live in a world all of its own. Beginning to understand such a complex society and beautiful country demands careful, slow deliberation over numberless intricately placed pieces and shades of subtlety indistinguishable to the untrained eye. For an outsider without a guide, such a rewarding task can be insurmountable. Fortunately, leading Turkish intellectual Doğu Ergil is at your service as just such a guide. “The Unknown: the Realities of Turkey” takes the reader day by day through the clamor of modern Turkish politics and brings order and clarity to a seemingly chaotic scene. Doğu Ergil’s tutelage is an indespensible resource for any and all explorers of foreign affairs.