Transcript
MARK PARRIS: Why are we doing a special project on Turkey here at Brookings, and why are we doing it now? The fact is that the Washington think tank community is already blessed with a number of quite good programs on Turkey, and I am pleased to welcome the directors or the representatives of several of them here this morning. Nor is Brookings new to this game. Under the leadership of Phil Gordon and Omer Taspinar, the institution has turned out some first-rate scholarship on Turkey in recent years, and Brookings each year organizes with Sabanci University of Istanbul the Sakip Sabanci Essay and Lecture Series of which we are very proud.
The other fact is that 2007 has the potential to be an unusually momentous year for Turkey and quite possibly for U.S.-Turkish relations. The program we are launching today grew out of a series of conversations among Phil, Omer, Abdullah, and myself, where we realized how much would be in play in and around Turkey this year and how much could be at stake. This could be the year that literally defines the kind of country that Turkey is for a generation, and that led us to conclude that a 1-year program sharply focused on Turkey's political calendar and on emerging regional dynamics would represent added value in terms of this city's discussion of Turkey between now and the end of the year.
The business plan for this project will be a little different from Brookings' past work on Turkey and perhaps from that of other Turkey programs here in Washington. Our goal is not to parade on this stage a series of high-level Turkish politicians, officials, or generals. We would probably accept offers to appear, but our hope, rather, is four, five, or six times over the next year to expose you to some of Turkey's best analytical minds, scholars, journalists, commentators, people who make their living try to figure out what makes Turkey tick, who are unusually good at expressing it, and who usually do not have the opportunity to be exposed to audiences like this here in Washington.
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