Essays

In the past eighty years, Turkish society has not become as secularized as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk envisioned. But rather than choosing a radical or violent path, Turkey’s Islamists have become champions of democracy. This is a lesson in how to be modern and Muslim at the same time.

Ankara Looks East

By Aslı Aydintasbas

Winter 2012

After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Turkish Republic oriented itself toward Europe to catch up with ‘contemporary civilization.’ But in the last ten years, Turkey has sought to play a more active role in the Middle East. The dramatic policy shift now stands to yield substantial strategic, political, and economic dividends following the Arab Spring.

Educating Turks

By Ebru İlhan

Winter 2012

Turkey’s Justice and Development Party has targeted education reform as a priority—to stimulate economic growth as well as to promote conservative Islamic values. But, so far, the party has not cut loose from the authoritarian Republican legacy within the education system as much Turks had expected.

Free Speech in the Age of Twitter

By Jillian C. York

Fall 2011

The microblogging service has become the digital tool of choice for political and social activists. But more important than Twitter’s protest-friendly architecture is the commitment of company executives to uncensored expression.

The Revolution Will Be Tweeted

By Rasha A. Abdulla

Fall 2011

There is no doubt that social networking helped bring Egyptians to Tahrir Square for the country’s January 25 revolution. But, equally important, services like Facebook and Twitter also prepared the ground by providing a model of horizontal communication and democratic participation.

Egypt’s Search for Truth

By Michael Wahid Hanna

Fall 2011

The effort to hold the former regime of President Hosni Mubarak to account is off to a poor start. But as the experiences of other nations in transition have shown, establishing a credible record of past abuses is essential to forming a democratic culture.

The Erdoğan Effect: Turkey, Egypt and the Future of the Middle East

By Kadir Ustun and Nuh Yilmaz

Fall 2011

Turkey has adopted a pro-active foreign policy in support of democracy in the Middle East. Together with a democratic and economically strong Egypt, Turkey can help Arab countries forge an integrated regional order.

Joining Hezbollah

By Nicholas Blanford

Fall 2011

The militant Lebanese Shia group believes that the psychological makeup of individual fighters, rather than their weapons, is the key to their battlefield triumphs. An inside glimpse at how the Iranian-backed party sustains its war against Israel.

Arab Spring Seen from Tehran

By Trita Parsi

Summer 2011

The geopolitical contest for the region’s hearts and minds.

Governing a World with HIV and Aids

By Alex de Waal

Summer 2011

The pandemic is not out of the danger zone, but apocalyptic predictions about the collapse of armies, state crises, and a vicious interaction between HIV/AIDS and violent conflict — especially in Africa — have not come to pass. Careful analysis gives far less cause for pessimism than many imagined would be possible even half a decade ago.

Brazil and the Middle East

By Celso Amorim

Summer 2011

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silvaa made the region a foreign policy focus in pursuit of greater South-South cooperation. An insider’s look at how the Brasília sees Arab democratization, Arab-Israeli peace, the nuclear standoff with Iran and trade and investment promotion.

The Climate Change Challenge

By Mostafa K. Tolba

Summer 2011

The results of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun proved once again that nations are not serious about addressing the danger posed by global warming. Non-stop consultations between developed and developing countries must achieve tangible and effective compromises before the follow-up conference in Durban in November.

Great Games, Local Rules

By Alexander Cooley

Summer 2011

The big-power competition in Central Asia is not quite what it seems. More intriguing is how the region’s governments play the U.S., China and Russia off one another for political and economic gain.

Nelson Mandela’s Legacy

By John Carlin

Summer 2011

South Africa’s liberation leader taught us a vital lesson when he navigated a peaceful end to apartheid: it is possible to be a great politician and a great human being at the same time. In reaching out to his old enemy, he bequeathed his nation the rule of law, freedom of speech, and free and fair elections.