A leading Turkish political scientist enhances understanding of the interactions of liberal democracy with longstanding cultural cleavages along secular-religious lines, ethnicity, and social class. This chronological narrative focuses on how the process of urbanization and industrialization has led to social mobilization and population movements.

Ersin Kalaycıoğlu and Ali Çarkoğlu, who conducted surveys comparable to the American National Election Survey for the 2002 and 2015 national elections in Turkey, chart the dynamics that brought the pro-Islamist conservative Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi-AKP) to power in 2002, and that continue to influence electoral politics. The authors trace the uneven course of democratization in Turkey, as revealed through elections, since the first competitive, multi-party elections in 1950. Since the market liberalization reforms of 1980, Turkey has been rapidly evolving from a closed, agricultural, comparatively underdeveloped polity into an open and industrial state primarily integrated with the global economy. Kalaycıoğlu and Çarkoğlu analyze different dimensions of five elections surveys in 2002-2015 period to show how the consequent socio-economic changes and traditional socio-cultural divisions have affected elections, political parties, and individual voters. The authors conclude that the historical-cultural divide between rural, peripheral, conservative groups and more urban, centrist, and modernized groups not only persists but shapes elections more than ever. This book not only provides an original comprehensive and critical evaluation of the Turkish electoral and party politics, it also offers a case study of voting behavior in a state undergoing both democratization and market liberalization in a rapidly changing and volatile international environment.

Reflections on the Ataturkist origins of Turkish foreign policy and domestic linkages / Andrew Mango -- Economic issues in Turkish foreign policy / William Hale -- Turkey and the Muslim Middle East / Kemal Kirişçi -- Turkish policy toward Israel / Meliha Benli Altunişik -- Turkish policy toward the Balkans / Şule Kut -- Turkish-Russian relations: from adversity to 'virtual rapprochement' / Duygu Bazoğlu Sezer -- Turkish policy toward Central Asia and the Transcaucasus / Gareth M. Winrow -- Turkish policy toward Greece / Tozun Bahcheli -- Turkey and the Cyprus question / Clement H. Dodd -- Turkey and the European Union / Atila Eralp -- U.S.-Turkish relations / George S. Harris -- Beyond 'bridge or barrier': Turkey's evolving security relations with the West / Ian O. Lesser.

A leading Turkish political scientist enhances understanding of the interactions of liberal democracy with longstanding cultural cleavages along secular-religious lines, ethnicity, and social class. This chronological narrative focuses on how the process of urbanization and industrialization has led to social mobilization and population movements.

Turkey has witnessed significant social, cultural, and political change over the last decades. This transformation has manifested itself in all segments of society and resulted in the alteration of political ideologies and institutions. The twelve authors of this volume shed light on the complexities of a changing Turkey through an interdisciplinary perspective. Their application of novel conceptual approaches and methodologies make this book a unique contribution to the study of modern Turkey.

The International Strategic Research Organization (USAK) has recently published a report named as“Turkish-Russian Relations in The Post-Cold War Period: Current Dynamics, Future Prospects”. This report can be evaluated from this perspective, as it is the first product of the Track II initiative that has started between International Strategic Research Organization (USAK) and Institute of Oriental Studies of Russian Academy of Sciences (IOS). The first meeting was held in Ankara in 19 February 2013 with participation of Turkish and Russian academicians, bureaucrats and decision makers. However, it is just the first step and should be taken to a next level by better coordination and planning in the future. One of the main outcomes of this meeting is that there are so many areas waiting to be addressed as here are so many commonalities in the historical and social contexts of the two countries. In this regard, the potential of cooperation in regional level has not been developed as much as the level of cooperation in the bilateral level. The report tries to cover these issues in three different chapters. In the first chapter, the report focuses on the political aspect of the relations and tries to answer the questions of “How the political relations developed in the last 20 years?”, “What were the main challenges and turning points that helped to establish a vThe report tries to cover these issues in three different chapters. In the first chapter, the report focuses on the political aspect of the relations and tries to answer the questions of “How the political relations developed in the last 20 years?”, “What were the main challenges and turning points that helped to establish a vibrant dialogue between the two states?” and “What are the areas that should be addressed in the near future?”

Assesses the state of U.S.-Turkey relations as well as Turkey's relations with its closest neighbors, and offers a way forward for strengthening relations between the United States and Turkey by focusing on strategic issues of mutual concern.