Bottom-Up: Explaining the Success Story of Turkey in the 2000s

Prof. Dr. Mustafa Acar, Strategic Outlook

Turkish President Abdullah Gul
after a speech at the Turkish Parliament

A lot of people around the world are wondering these days how Turkey was able to jump from bottom to the top within a decade and became a shining star of the region. It seems a miracle: starting from a terrible situation it faced with the eruption of 2001 crisis, but ending with a brighter than ever outlook. When the country cleared its external debts to the IMF last week, this outlook became even brighter, urging credit rating institutions to upgrade Turkey’s rating.

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Hizmet movement: Social movement or political manipulation?

Sadık Çınar*

In the last decade, the Hizmet movement has become a phenomenon in Turkish civil and political life.

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An Armenian from Turkey in Los Angeles...

Markar Esayan

Last week I visited Los Angeles to attend the fourth Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival, held between May 16 and 19. I wanted to write about my impressions before the effects of jet lag took hold and while my memories were still fresh. I was enthusiastic as this was my first visit to Los Angeles. I wasn't enthusiastic just because I was making my first visit to a place or because I would see all the major historic or religious landmarks of Anatolia within a 60,000-square-meter area in Orange County. I also have many relatives and friends living in this city and across the state, most of whom I hadn't seen for years. Perhaps it would be possible to catch up with some of them on everything during my tight schedule.

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