Book excerpt: At the start of the century Turkey maintains its ceaseless search for closer links with Europe. The essential mission of the Republic created by Mustafa Kemal after the First World War was the modernization of Turkey in accordance with the Western secular and democratic model. In Helsinki at the turn of the century Turkey was finally accepted as a candidate for EU membership and now hopes for, and expects, a new future. With this future in mind the authors of the studies in this book consider how prepared in various fields Turkey now is for the transformation in which it is engaged. Turkey's path in the twenty-first century will not be easy. There are serious issues to be faced in the management of the economy. In politics there are human rights and other problems deeply affecting Turkish democracy, and a Kurdish reality with which to come to terms. There are the problems to be faced of a revived Islam, the forward role of the military in its self-styled role as defender of the secular state, the need for the reform of the state's bureaucracy, the preservation of national unity, and the reform and development of turkey's democratic structure. Internationally Turkey lives in a volatile Middle Eastern and Central Asian environment, but one with which she has to deal politically and economically, particularly as Caspian and other energy sources are vital. Internally there are movements of population that are disrupting established social structures. These changes are reflected in literature and in the media. A new transformation is underway in Turkey. This book throws light on major factors of change in Turkish economics, politics and society. It uniquely pulls together Turkish experience over a wide area. It is promoted by the Turkish Area Study Group. - Back cover.