Rating: 
Summary: Has Kinzer ever seen the face of Imam Yasayan of Erzurum?
Review: I've read the recent Marvine Howe Today's Turkey and I was pleased with the information in that book. Crescent and Star takes a different path. It is not as balanced as Howe's book. I felt a whole chapter dedicated to Armenian issues was excessive and unfair considering there is only about 50,000 Armenians in a 70,000,000 million population. The author made me think about the Turkish constitution and its effect in our everyday life. My concern is about our constitution and the role if any our military plays upholding it. I feel as a Turkish citizen I should be able to express my outrage at those who have almost destroyed Turkey economically with their terrorism, and support of Ocalan. I believe Right now the Turkish constitution does not give the politicians or political parties the full freedom to do so. It is seen as "ayrilikci". My personal opinion is that wide spread Kurdish support for PKK should not be swept under the carpet and should be made into a major issue during campaigns. Military or the constitution should not interfere with people's right to form or vote for a political party that makes the PKK and those Kurds who support it into a political issue. Europe, and USA do not help us in fact PKK, the Kurdish organization that made a bloodbath in Turkey by costing 30,000 lives, is not classified as a terrorist organization by either the Europeans or the Americans, even after what has happened on September 11. It's like a cruel joke when so many of our Turkish young men have been maimed, or killed by PKK Kurdish mines, bullets, or bombs. The sorrowful face of Imam Yasayan of Erzurum who has lost his sons to Kurdish PKK terror does not leave my eyes. Or the incredible pain Sakip Sabanci goes through having lost a brother to a Kurdish woman, Fehriye Erdal who shot Ozdemir in cold-blood and now is being protected by Belgium. All of us Turks feel the pain of these fathers, and brothers whose lives have been forever altered by Kurdish murderers. Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, and other cities are taking away tax dollars from other areas of Turkey(Southeast takes in 2 more dollars for every dollar they put in), draining government sources due to very high birth rate(9-11 kids not atypical for a Southeastern couple), not paying for electricity they use(It is recently exposed that the government can only collect from 25% of its subscribers in the Kurdish cities; 75% steal their electiricty), Kurdish youth have been known to disrupt University education by either terrorism and other demands, Kurdish population are the largest group who build illegal "gecekondu" or shantytowns, plus many eagerly support Abdullah Ocalan, a brutal killer and his bloody, seperatist, communist organization. The Kurdish seperatism has brought us to the economic collapse of 2001. Isn't it time we as Turks at least were given the right to complain about this, and confront those who silently support it? The problem is much, much bigger than a core group of terrorists who actively kill such as Fehriye Erdal, or the yesteryear's Deniz Gezmis. Therefore authors like Kinzer should also take Turkish suffering into consideration when they talk about the situation in Turkey. We, the Turks, who have been at the receiving end of Kurdish terrorism and have been singing the blues Mr.Kinzer, for over 20 years now. Kurdish terrorist campaign have cost Turkish kids a bright future. Amazingly their leader, Mr. Ocalan is still allowed to talk from his cell in Imrali and give direction to his operatives. The result is Kurdish youth demanding education in Kurdish in our public universities. We the Turkish People should have the right to denounce terrorism and condemn those who live in Turkey, use our government sources, "ekmegimizi yedikten sonra da" as they say in Turkish, support anti-Turkish terrorism. I felt the author skirted around this issue and could not point the finger at the guilty party. That would be my only complaint about Crescent and Star.
Rating: 
Summary: Tough love from a true friend...
Review: Mr. Kinzer truly loves Turkey. His eyes are also wide open. The result is a wonderfully written, easy to read, sensitive book. But, don't be fooled by that. It is also one of the most perceptive books written about Turkishness. Some may dismiss it as simplistic, some may even be offended by its advice. Of course, some will continue to say "Turkey is different. We can't practice democracy like others" etc. But, Turks must heed his advice. It is powerful and it is right on the money. If you are interested in reading about the very recent historical and political events in Turkey while learning the larger Turkish history concisely (and effortlessly, I might add) this is a good book. Fun to read. Clearly written. Good introduction. Mr. Kinzer has a lot of love for Turkey but this doesn't cloud his clear observations. I hope the book is translated into Turkish soon without losing a chapter or two to appease certain powers. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: a Turkish testament
Review: I don't know Stephen Kinzer from a bar of soap, but I could bet he's a very likeable guy. I used to read his articles in the New York Times with great pleasure, back in those years when he was covering Turkey and wrote many pieces on the new nations in the Caucasus and Central Asia too. For the first time, in Kinzer's articles, the subscribers got more than just election or disaster news---we got coverage of all kinds of cultural, social, and economic trends in Turkey. I always hoped Kinzer would write a book on the country. He did and I bought it. If I compare it to an academic tome like Caglar Keydar's "State and Class in Turkey", CRESCENT AND STAR reads as smooth as silk, even if the depth of the ideas is not so great. It is a highly informative, journalistic look at modern Turkey, a country at a political, historical crossroads. Turkey has managed to burst the economic straitjacket that bound it for decades; the Kurdish insurrection has been squelched, and relations with Greece improved beyond all belief. There is a strong possibility that the country will join the European Union in the next decade. Yet, a number of political problems remain. Kinzer points out again and again that the conservative, but secular military elite dominates the civilian politicians, who often are not the sharpest knives in the drawer. In turn, civil liberties have been denied because the behind-the-scenes military class feels that Turkey "is not ready" for full freedom. The role of religion, i.e. Islam, in society has yet to be decided. There are a few hotheaded fundamentalists, many who want a stronger role for Islam under democracy, and many more who don't want Islam to play any role at all. Is it a good idea to push the whole issue into a corner ? Kinzer liked Turkey. You can feel that on every page in the book. Liking the country, having friends there, he wanted to use his journalistic power to best advantage, to strike a blow for his friends, who like him, believe in freedom and democracy, and see a bright future for Turkey if it goes down that road. I too, from a great distance, sympathize with this picture. I like people who don't hide behind some abstract "objectivity". But I am afraid his desire to help turned the book into something of a polemic. As he discusses each of the main aspects of modern Turkish politics and society---Ataturk, the party politics, the military, the Kurds, Islam, censorship and repression, the great earthquake of 1999, and relations with Greece-we receive the same lecture a number of times. Encourage dissent, he cries, embrace ethnic and religious diversity, own up to the Armenian massacres of 1915 or at least discuss them, give religious people a voice in society, let Parliament have the ultimate power instead of the soldiers, decentralize, don't lose Ataturk's desire for change and modernization, and above all, trust your own citizens to be mature enough to choose what they want in government. If you don't mind this rather heavy-handed insistence on the same theme, then CRESCENT AND STAR is an excellent book for anyone wanting to know the main issues, trends, and political feelings in modern Turkey. The sections Kinzer refers to as "snacks" or meze are all very interesting. Another book on modern Turkish life and culture as seen by an American ? Please.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent potential but a little flawed...
Review: This seems to be the general gist of Mr. Kinzer's message about Turkey today. And I think the same holds true for this book. It's an easy and enjoyable read and Stephen Kinzer provides many pertinent insights and opinions (and a pendant for oriental exotics like camel fights and water pipe smoking- things that most living Turks will never have enjoyed). However, his treatment of both the Kurdish Question and of Turkey's attitude towards its Islamic movement is tainted by 'Western' superficial stereotypes. To find the right answers, one first has to ask the right questions - and even then there is no quick-fix recipe. The book seems to imply that all Turkey has to do to fullfil its potential is to get rid of its corrupt or inept politicians,curtail the political power of its military and adopt a more liberal attitude towards ethnicity, religion and democratic rights. But the real issues run much deeper than Mr. Kinzer's view allows. He does not, for example, offer any insight into the intrinsic incompatibility of Islamic Law (the Sheria) and Western Democracy. Islam (like Judaism) is not just a system of personal beliefs but makes detailed prescriptions for the practical life of the individual and the community - which directly run counter to the notion of personal freedom. Insisting on a secular state in a Muslim population does infringe on the indivual freedom of some Muslims who want to practice their faith as is prescribed in the Koran. However, not to do so, would infringe the right of all other people who do not want to live their lives according to the letter of the holy book. Giving the orthodox religious minority more rights than they already have, is a recipe for disaster (one could persuasively argue that much of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is due to religious fanaticism on both sides). Democracy requires reason and rational discourse not 'God's word'. Everything else is secondary to this fundamental premise. In fact, recently one of the religious parties that Mr. Kinzer believes should be granted greater political sway in Turkey recently held a conference where video footage of the bombing of the World Trade Center and of bin Ladin were enthusiastically cheered by the crowd. Most people in this country were disgusted with this spectacle - and I'm sure Mr. Kinzer would have been. It's a naive fallacy to believe that coopting fanatics into the mainstream will blunt their knives. (Nobody in the West should forget that Hitler's National Socialists were a legal, democratically elected party that came to power through perfectly legal, democratic means.) No, the way forward for Turkey is not with this crowd, but without - and if need be - against this crowd. In Turkey, the complex issues of democracy are not armchair discussion topics but very real, very hard questions with grave implications for the life of the nation and each one of us who do not happen to have a passport that guarantees them exit to, say, Chicago. Compared to other Islamic nations, Turkey is a virtual oasis of democracy and freedom. Compared to the West, Turkey has many failings as a democracy. But want we need to improve is not simplistic lecturing on human rights, or even friendly words - but concrete support and unbridled acknowledgement from the West that this country is on the right track. It always comes to the crunch in our part of the world. And whenever it does, we need friends like Stephen Kinzer to sit on the right side of the fence. That should sound familiar to American ears today, or not?
Rating:
Summary: Turkey: Destined to Become the World's Greatest Democracy?
Review: "Crescent and Star" is a very intriguing, accessible, and passionately written overview of Turkey, with special emphasis on its struggle to emerge as a democratic state. While some have complained that this book is "shallow," I think that's being overly harsh, since, with all the history and varied cultures that have defined modern-day Turkey, copious volumes could still be written that would provide new insight. Author Stephen Kinzer should be credited with producing a fluidly written and I daresay exhilirating introduction to this fascinating nation that, as the subtitle suggests, literally and symbolicallly stands between "two worlds." Kinzer comes across as a sort of "cheerleader" for Turkey and the Turkish people, not hiding his hopes that this tradition-steeped nation reach its potential to become the world's first Islamic democracy. And why shouldn't he cheer? The implications of Turkey attaining this goal are nothing short of staggering. As Kinzer points out, Turkey is faced with the challenge of forging a secularist, free, multicultural, and economically strong nation. It's enticing destiny is not to become another United States, but to achieve a world stature that will in certain ways exceed that of the United States. The U.S. became the world's poster-nation for freedom, in large measure, because its history was forged in a relatively short time, unencumbered by centuries-old antagonisms. You often hear that peace is hopeless in the Middle East because of the anciently rooted antagonisms that continue to fester. Kinzer shows glimmers of hope that Turkey, while never dismissing nor forgetting its history, may just be capable of breaking free of its oppressive grasp. This is something the U.S. never had to overcome. Turkey's success would forever put to rest the argument that Middle East nations are incapable of peace because history works against that goal. Turkey would be the first to show that, while history defines what a nation is, a nation can nevertheless become the author of its own history, making it hopeful.
It is this perspective that Kinzer lays out, and it is easy to understand why he is so enamored with it. After reading
"Crescent and Star," you will be too. You will also understand why those who are committed to perpetuating the sad and worn out legacy of violence and extremism will continue to hope that Turkey does not succeed.
Rating:
Summary: Worth reading for Turkish people
Review: Having lived in Turkey makes a person too much get accustomed to Turkish way of thinking. This is, of course, not a good thing, if you are wondering about how Turkey can become more civilized, or join European Union. This book gives a fresh perspective on Turkey by an outsider who understands Turkish culture and mentality. Its points are well made, writing style is crisp, and occational prose is delightful. Perhaps most importantly, the author's points on Turkish state, democracy, and Ataturk are worth thinking for any Turkish person. I would recommend you to see what a US person thinks when he goes to live in Turkey.
Rating:
Summary: No Turkey of a Book!
Review: CRESCENT AND STAR is a fun, informative read. Turkey is becoming a popular destination for Westerners (unless they're Greek and mad about Cyprus) and this book shows us why. Turkey has been in the middle of things politically and culturally for so long, and yet the country and its people are pretty much a mystery to most Americans. Mention Turkey, and images from MIDNIGHT EXPRESS spring to mind. But every person I know who has visited has had great things to say: the people are hospitable, it's cheap, there's a lot to do and see, and the food is superb. It's also important for us to understand our allies, and Turkey has been courageous enough to stand with the US even though it's been criticized for doing so. Turkey also shows us how Islam and secular society can co-exist. This is important now, as Muslims become a stronger political voice, in the US and in Europe.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling and insightful, but sensationalist
Review: This synopsis of the history and current issues of modern Turkey is compelling and insightful, despite at times being a bit sensationalist and biased. I just returned from a couple of weeks in Turkey where I spent a lot of time just talking to folks. I must admit that on many issues Kinzer was right on -- or at least highlighted the hottest topics even if his take on them didn't always completely line up with what I picked up from the people there. It certainly gives a reasonable introduction to what people are thinking about and the issues that they face. It's clear that Kinzer loves Turkey and after spending some time there I can concur that there's much to admire. Sadly however there are a number of faults in the writing style that are a little disappointing. First, Kinzer is a New York Times reporter and the book reads like that -- it would be a very different book were it written by a historian or a sociologist. Sometimes there's a bit too much skimming of the surface for a work this long. Second, there's a pretty clear agenda to it (like, say, the New York Times). There are times that Kinzer seems to have already decided the fate that he thinks Turkey should take and projects this back on the people there. The issue that I noticed the most contrast with what I read and what I heard was the issue of joining the EU and pushing the culture further west. The Turkish that I met -- even some among them in what would seem to be a very westernized segment of society -- are much more cautious about this move than Kinzer implies. There's a real fear of compromising or destroying that which is distinctive in Turkish culture. But then there are issues where he's right on. I often used the book as a guide on interesting topics to let conversations tend toward. Specifically the issues surrounding Greek / Turkish relations seemed to be very near to what people really felt. Anyway -- on the whole a good read, but it really feels more like a compelling series of articles on modern Turkey than a well researched book on the cultural issues.
Rating:
Summary: good coments
Review: This boook discribes Turkey's problem very well. Stephen Kinzar understands Turkish problems effectuivelly. I am glad thathe wrote this book therefore many people can understand even Turkey's own people why Turkey is still strugling with it's own problems.
Rating:
Summary: not about politics, about Turkish culture and its future!
Review: The reviews of this book are turning into a political rant forum, so I will forgo any lengthy diatribes about Kurds, Turkish army, terrorism etc. It's a short, compelling book that does not get mired in the politics. Besides, most people in Turkey care more about a Galatasaray-Fenerbahce game than Ocalan's ravings or the influence of the military. Kinzer is not shallow. He is not patronizing. His conclusions are spot on. I bet he has had more fun living in Turkey than pretty much anyone who has written a review of this book here, and is able to pen his experiences and share his insights with intelligence and wit, critical while being upbeat and optimistic, like a good trusted friend would. That's all.
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