To: New York Times Editor Dear New York Times Editor: The Op-ed article regarding Turkey in NYTimes’ today’s (June 6) edition finds the staunchly secular and democratic Turkish President’s veto on proposed amendment to the higher education statute undemocratic, and praises the Islamist Prime Minister’s initiative to promote religious education in the country. Following the […]
CONTINUE READING →Cathleen Boivin Ladies and Gentlemen, Colleagues, and Students: My acquaintance with Turkey and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk began in 1963. I had just turned 13 and was going into the 8th grade – not much younger than Abigail. My world was swimming pools, day camps, and riding my bicycle. However, when my father accepted the job […]
CONTINUE READING →Abigail Bowman Hello! I’m so honored to be here today for this celebration of Youth Day. Atatürk was the only leader in the world to make a holiday just for children, and I think that’s so wonderful. A thank the Atatürk Society of America for inviting me to speak to you today. Because of a […]
CONTINUE READING →Metin Camcigil, Former President of ASA I have chosen to talk to you today about The Greater Middle East Initiative because I know it is under preparation for consideration at the forthcoming G-8 and NATO summits. Being Congressional Staffers you may have sought information or have already been bombarded by massive unsolicited so-called “instant expertise”, […]
CONTINUE READING →Dr. Andrew Mango I thank the Atatürk Society for marking with this award its appreciation of my biography of the founding father of the Turkish Republic. It is an honour I value, and which I owe to the kindness of my Turkish friends and of my readers. I am grateful also to the Turkish Embassy […]
CONTINUE READING →Aryeh Shmuelevitz Much has been written about Turkish foreign policy between the two world wars. However, the source materials available is still limited, for three main reasons: (a) the Turkish archives are still closed; (b) foreign policy from 1922 until at least 1945 was the exclusive responsibility of the president, the prime minister, the foreign […]
CONTINUE READING →Mehmet Metin Considering that the longing for autocratic rule was unimaginable following its ousting 75 years ago, but that within the last 25 years it became a 20 % political force in the fledgling democracy of Turkey, the question in the above title is not at all outlandish. Let us first lay out shortly the […]
CONTINUE READING →Dr. Engin Inel Holmstrom Military hero. National liberator. Charismatic leader. Unparalleled social reformer. Prominent statesman. A genius international peacemaker. Father of his country. These are some of the exalted phrases generally used to describe Atatürk. These attributes, beyond the reach of ordinary human beings, tend to deify him and make us forget that he was […]
CONTINUE READING →Prof. Dr. Suna Kili, Bogazici University It is a well-known fact that radical changes of political and social transformations do not necessarily follow a unilinear line. At times and occasionally there may be attempts at complete or partial reversions to the old order. Turkey’s case is no exception to this general phenomenon. In contemporary Turkey […]
CONTINUE READING →Prof. Mahmut Esat Ozan It was on November 24, 1935 that Mustafa Kemal, the first president of the young Turkish Republic, was given the name of ATATÜRK by the Grand National Assembly. He had led his people through war into self-government and finally into an entirely new way of life. He had been their teacher, […]
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