Turkey
Turkey
Often seen as a bridge between East and West, Turkey is now finding that it must choose between the two. Although a long-time aspirant for European Union membership, it is also seen as the most-likely leader in the emerging, post-Arab Spring, Middle East.
This land of nearly 80 million people, virtually all Muslim, competes well in world-class manufacturing and agriculture. But internal problems detract from its vigor: the Kurdish ethnic minority, long discriminated against, is still restive; violence against women is reaching critical proportions; and, the rise of Islamic politics threatens Turkey's oft-touted secularism.
How Turkey will balance these opposing forces is yet to be seen. Read more here at Suite 101.
topic editor
Jen L. Jones - Based in Canada, Jones writes on human rights, history,and the natural world. She focuses also on Turkish and Scottish travel and ...