This book is a collection of the essays on Turkey that analyze the international, regional and national political developments in the last several years covering a wide variety of issues from the transformation of Turkish politics to the changing role of Turkey in its region, and from the ups and downs in the Turkish-Israeli relations to the looming threat posed by Irans nuclear program to the issue of Islamophobia and the rise of xenophobic political ideologies in Europe and the US. The book in general takes a critical look at the evolving Turkish foreign policy towards its immediate neighbors and the international system. Kalyoncu does intend to take stock of the past five years (2007-2012) in terms of the political and social developments that has made Turkey, Turkish-American-Israeli relations and the Middle East, what they are today.
Mehmet Kalyoncu is an independent political analyst. He has published articles in academic journals and op-ed pieces in newspapers and online publications including Foreign Policy Magazine, Todays Zaman, Zinda Magazine, PINR, and American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences. His research interests include Turkish foreign policy, ethno-religious politics, civil society, and social development in countries rich in natural resources. Kalyoncu authored A Civilian Response to Ethno-Religious Conflict: Gülen Movement in Southeast Turkey (The Light, 2008). He holds masters degree in Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies from Georgetown University.