Andrew Finkel

Finkel's book on the current political situation and international standing of modern Turkey is an informative read that will bring to light much of Turkey's current political issues.

He covers everything from Ataturk to the current arguments for and against European Union membership to the economic situation in Istanbul as the ever changing cultural center of Turkey.

Perhaps the most fascinating parts of the book deal with Turkey's as yet untapped potential as a modern economic player. One show more very much gets the sense that the best of what Turkey has to offer the world, despite its tremendously rich cultural history, may have yet to be seen.

It is this optimism about Turkey's future which drives the book forward and makes clear Finkel's extensive and intimate knowledge of the subject. show less

Ten years out of date - obviously - but it does reflect a time when there was more hope about Turkey - or Türkiye. EU membership was still thought possible. Also there is a reading list at the end - even if some publications (like Zaman) got banned entirely. And the index is good, taking up 20% of the Kindle ‘locations’. Neo Ottomanism - is discussed quite well (although Erdogan’s recent objections to soap opera portrayals of Sultans as harem-obsessed rather than as all-beating show more warriors, signals a need for care.) In October 2019, the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide, marking the first time a chamber of Congress officially designated the 1915 mass killings of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as a genocide. This decision followed decades of efforts by Armenian-American communities and human rights advocates to secure formal recognition of the atrocities. It also followed Turkiyes military interventions in Lebanon. show less

I only give it three stars because, to me, it was not the most engaging of books. It is not bad, just not riveting. However, what it does provide is a good overview of Turkish history and politics in a fairly concise way. The book is part of an Oxford UP series on "what everyone needs to know" on various topics. I do like the format of the book as question and answer as it allows for learning in small chunks. It also lends itself to just finding what you need to know on a specific topic. So, show more if you want to get a quick overview of Turkey, this is a pretty good way to do so. show less

An interesting read that addresses important issues about Turkey. The book analyzes, briefly, the relationship with the US and the conflicting relationship with the Armenian and Kurdish but, unfortunately it was not what I had expected. The writer stress much more the economic and politics aspects than cultural and historical factors. It really lacked an analysis of the complex Turkish society, their social strata and the huge cultural diversity and its historical roots .