Turkey Facing East: Islam, Modernity and Foreign Policy

 Turkey facing east is about the importance of Turkey's relations with its Eastern neighbours - Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Soviet Union - during the emergence of the modern Turkish nation-state from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire. The principal strength of this book is that it not only combines historical and theoretical arguments in order to provide a better understanding of the foreign relations of a predominantly Muslim country from a critical and interdisciplinary perspective, but it also applies the new approach to the analysis of Turkish foreign policy towards the South Caucasus between 1918 and 1921. Hence, it stands out with its original interdisciplinary approach to the Turkish transition and foreign policy-making that offers perspectives on the extant possibilities for the particular transitional states resulting from the Arab spring uprisings.

Review:

'This is an impressive book that represents a genuinely innovative contribution to the field. Goel elaborates on a lesser-examined period of Turkish-Russian relations by offering a new theoretical perspective to studying foreign policy. Despite the complexity of the theoretical framework, the book is immensely readable. Thus it should appeal to a wide range of readers who are interested in foreign policy analysis, Turkish-Russian relations and Turkish studies. It would also serve as teaching material in graduate or undergraduate courses on the history of Turkish foreign policy.'
Sakir Dincsahin, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Political Studies Review, 1 May 2015

'The book's in depth analysis of a transitional period in Turkish history offers a new historical account of the transformation of the Turkish state, highlighting the importance of Turkey's Eastern-orientation. It is a useful addition for specialists working on the region as well as international politics.'
Anita Sengupta, Insight Turkey Vol 16 No 4, 11 May 2015