Book Reviews

Silivri Postası can be divided into two main parts. The first part covers Türköne’s analysis of Turkey’s political transformation over the past 20 years, particularly the aftermath of the July 15, 2016 coup attempt. The second part is his prison journal, documenting his daily routine, encounters with prisoners from various political and social backgrounds, personal reflections, political analyses, and thoughts on the books he read. This honest testimony offers valuable insights into Turkey’s recent political history.

The recent awarding of the Nobel Prize in Economics to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James Robinson highlights their influential work on the role of institutions in determining the prosperity of nations. Why Nations Fail underscores the importance of inclusive institutions and warns against the dangers of extractive systems. Power and Progress makes clear that societal change and prosperity are possible when the people push back against elites.

Diplomat memoirs are always fun to read. They meet with famous historical personalities, and they witness historical events. Because of their education and unique lifestyles, they are usually colorful characters which make their memoirs more fun. Yet, more interestingly, they live and work at the liminalities of the state, its organization, and official ideology. Like military outposts at the border, a diplomatic mission is located at the far end of the state organization. Diplomats work at this borderline and operate between outside and inside of the state. This liminality makes diplomat memoirs more interesting as they show how a state’s policies, interests, identity, and ideology are constantly tested by the external world, as well as power struggles in their home capital from where they are usually far away.

Lausanne Treaty is one of the litmus tests that can reveal someone’s worldview and ideology in Turkey. Yet, for Islamists, who regard themselves as the losers of the new deal in Turkey, despised the treaty as a conspiracy against the Turkish nation while Kurds believed it ended the dream of free Kurdistan. Even after 101 years, Turkey still struggles to coming to terms with the Lausanne treaty.

As a victim of this brutal persecution, I still do not know how to describe it. This is also a hotly debated issue among the victims. Considering the broad definition of loneliness put forward by Noreena Hertz and 'loneliness kills,' it will help us better understand 'modern forms of genocide.' Because it is beyond doubt that persecution and dehumanization create loneliness for the victims, and loneliness kills.

It is a difficult task to read an authoritarian leader’s mind. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is one of the most intriguing leaders, even compared with his other authoritarian peers. Most recently, the NATO Summit in Vilnius re-kindled the discussions over Erdoğan, his motivations and future ambitions. Although he has irked policymakers in the West with his erratic moves in the last decade, he pleased many by approving Sweden’s NATO membership and his cordial dialogues with President Biden and European leaders.