This is a superb long duree perspective on the political economy of contemporary Turkey over the last two decades, one we ignore at our own peril. -- Vassilis K. Fouskas, University of East London, and founding editor of the Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies
Using insights gathered from world systems analysis and global shift approaches, this book departs from Eurocentric lenses and casts a critical eye on Turkey's geopolitical and economic positionality in a highly informative and engaging manner. It consequently fills an important gap in Turkish studies, global political economy and international relations. -- Tunc Aybak, Middlesex University
This is an important book. It shows us the developmental trajectory of Turkey over the last two decades. Similar to the impact of China, middle-sized rising powers like Turkey have huge potential to shift the global power structure with profound implications. Professor Gokay reminds us in this book that despite the destructive strategies of neoliberalism there are opportunities for global powers to collaborate in the pursuit of their own development and growth strategies. -- Qingan Huang, Guangdong University of Finance and Economics
Turkey in the Global Economy examines the transformation of the country over the past two decades, from an underdeveloped and weak economic power into an important regional player with a dynamic economy and a significant role in global networks. In laying out this trajectory, Bulent Gokay deploys two optics. On the one hand, he offers a broad view of Turkey in the context of what he refers to as the 'global shift' of political and financial power from the developed West and North to the countries of the East and South. This shift is most apparent in the emergence of the BRIC quartet, but Gokay argues that it opened up vital opportunities for other middle-range regional powers such as Turkey as well, allowing them to enhance their regional and global influence. At the same time, the book provides a more granular focus on the political and economic transformation of Turkey itself. This took the form of a wide-ranging neoliberal reform aimed at creating an export-oriented industrial sector and restructuring Turkey's financial system. These external and internal processes are examined against the backdrop of a domestic political scene in Turkey dominated by the AKP party of Recep Erdogan, who paradoxically sought to advance the neoliberal agenda while co-opting traditionalist-Islamist elements into Turkey's ruling elite for the first time in its modern history. The book is a stimulating work of impressive scholarship and considerable originality. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the development of modern Turkey and the Middle East, and it is very highly recommended for those desiring a more synthetic and sophisticated understanding of the dynamics that have reshaped global geoeconomics and geopolitics in the new millennium. -- Mark Bassin, Center for Baltic and East European Studies, Soedertoern University, Sweden
