[Shermy]

Your comments?

The current home page of the Turkish Daily News has a new link about Kamal Ataturk. Click "Long Live the Republic." Contains pic of Ataturk in top hat and tails.

[Arkinsaw]

Very interesting. The Turks don't get the respect they deserve for overcoming a whole lot of history. They've also been a steadfast ally, allowed missiles on their territory during the cold war, helped in southeast asia, provided a key military base and during numerous crises.

They are by no means perfect, have lots of problems, but they are advancing as opposed to much of the rest of that part of the world.

[Migraine]

Wow, Shermy; who is this Gunduz Aktan? NO WAY is this writer a Muslim. He is so right on! His theory (which cites Toynbee's analysis) goes right to the heart of Islam's problem these past 100 years. If this guy is a Muslim, he would be the first one I've read who made any sense since old Ataturk himself.

[gcruse]

Interesting article. Thanks for posting it.

[BunnySlippers]

Bookmark•

[Sabertooth]

growl!

[Travis McGee]

Islam needs a few Ataturks, without them it is doomed.

[JMJ333]

Not even the Palestinians remain down in the fight with Israel, which occupies the same moral ground but has superior weaponry

I disagree with that statement. The Jews are above the palestinians on the moral playing field. They don't teach their children to hate Christians and palestinians, nor do they suicide bomb innocent civilians--they hit military targets.

[Cincinatus]

A very good piece. Many of the same points are made about the Turkish experience with "modernization" in David Pryce-Jones' The Closed Circle : An Interpretation of the Arabs, which I have just finished. This book is a must read -- although out of print, it can be found in most large libraries.

[denydenydeny]

Bumping to the Clash of Civilizations list.