Turkey: Embracing East and West

Paul Wolfowitz, president of the World Bank, delivered the second annual Sakıp Sabancı Lecture. Prior to assuming leadership of the world’s largest source of aid to developing nations, Mr. Wolfowitz spent more than three decades as an ambassador, educator, and senior government official under seven U.S. presidents.

To establish a prominent forum for exploring Turkey’s increasingly important role in the world, the Brookings Center on the United States and Europe (CUSE) and Sabancı University launched a lecture series last year in honor of Sakıp Sabancı. Mr. Sabancı was one of the foremost Turkish business leaders of his generation, a visionary supporter of Turkey’s democratic and economic reforms, and a strong advocate of Turkey’s efforts to join the European Union.

Following the lecture, Mr. Wolfowitz joined Ms. Guler Sabancı, CEO of Sabancı Holdings; Brookings President Strobe Talbott; and a prestigious international jury in announcing the winners of the first Sakıp Sabancı research award for the best essay on Turkey and its role in the world. A live video link to Sabancı University in Istanbul provided students and others there an opportunity to participate in the question and answer session.