Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

User talk:SteveV

2016-09-22T06:33:33Z

SteveV:

{{Welcome}}
If you need anything, let me know! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|TALK]]) 02:12, 22 September 2016 (EDT)
: Hi, thank you. - [[User:SteveV|SteveV]] ([[User talk:SteveV|talk]]) 02:33, 22 September 2016 (EDT)

Pervez Musharraf

2016-09-22T06:32:46Z

SteveV:

[[Image:Pervez Musharraf.jpg|thumb|right|Pervez Musharraf]]
'''Pervez Musharraf''' (b. Delhi on August 11, 1943) became [[President]] of [[Pakistan]], via a [[coup]] on October 12, 1999. He is considered a key ally of the [[United States]] in the fight against global [[terrorism]].

Musharraf stepped down as Pakistan's military commander November 28, 2007, giving way to successor Gen. Ashfaq Kayani. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071128/ap_on_re_as/pakistan]

::''General Pervez Musharraf, the second of three brothers, was born in Delhi on August 11, 1943. His parents chose to settle in [[Karachi]] after the creation of Pakistan. He comes from a middle-class family, his father having worked for the foreign ministry. He spent his early years in [[Turkey]], from 1949 to 1956, owing to his father, the late Syed Musharrafu-ud-din’s deputation in [[Ankara]]. He is fluent in Turkish and claims that [[Mustafa Kemal Ataturk|Kamal Ataturk]] is his hero.'' <ref>[http://www.storyofpakistan.com/person.asp?perid=P029 Gen. Pervez Musharraf]</ref>

::Musharraf began his military career in 1964. He ''was promoted to the rank of General on 7th October 1998 and appointed Chief of Army Staff. He was given the additional charge of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee on 9th April 1999 which he relinquished in October 2001. He performed his duties as the Chief Executive of Pakistan from 12 th October 1999 to the time he became President. He is now the COAS and the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.''<ref>[http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/ Biography General Pervez Musharraf]</ref> After this coup Musharraf fleed into [[Dubai]].

In 2013 he returned into his country and started an comeback in the policy, by he wanted to be a candidate in the next election.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/03/24/former-pakistan-president-musharraf-heads-home-amid-militant-death-threats/</ref> Later he was arrested by the police.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/04/19/former-pakistani-military-ruler-lashes-out-at-accusers-following-his-arrest/</ref>

Musharraf is married to Begum Sehba. They have two children, Ayla and Bilal, and both are married. They have two granddaughters from Ayla; a grandson and a granddaughter from Bilal.

== See also ==
*[[Benazir Bhutto]]
*[[India]]

<gallery>
Image:Musharraf 1.jpg|Musharraf and his wife Sehba
Image:Musharraf 2.jpg|Musharraf and his wife Sehba
Image:Musharraf 3.jpg|Secretary Rice with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf
Image:Musharraf 4.jpg|President Bush and President Pervez Musharraf
</gallery>

== References ==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Musharraf, Pervez}}

[[Category:Former Heads of State]]
[[Category:Pakistan]]

Mosque

2016-09-22T06:30:49Z

SteveV: /* Famous mosques */ Correction

[[File:Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istambul.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul.]]
A '''mosque''' is a [[Muslim]] house of worship, analogous to a Christian [[church]] or Jewish [[synagogue]], and will be found in any Muslim community around the world.

Almost all mosques include a minaret from which the [[muezzin]], or "caller", issues calls to worship. All mosques have markers inside them indicating the direction to [[Mecca]], as Muslims pray facing Mecca.

== Famous mosques ==
* [[Masjid al-Haram]]: A mosque in Mecca, [[Saudi Arabia]]. It contains the [[Kaaba]] and is the site of the annual [[Hajj]] pilgrimage. It is considered the holiest site in [[Islam]].<ref name="holysites1">{{cite news|last=Miller |first=Pamela |title=Journey of a lifetime |publisher=Star Tribune |date=2006-01-07 |page=12E}}</ref>
* [[Masjid al-Nabawi]]: A mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia. It is considered the second-holiest site in Islam.<ref name="holysites2">{{cite news|last=Abu-Nasr |first=Donna |title=Many Saudis criticize attack |publisher=Ventura County Star |date=2004-12-09 |page=16}}</ref>
* [[Al-Aqsa Mosque]]: Also known as Temple Mount, it was built on the site of the former [[Temple of Solomon]] in [[Jerusalem]]. Believed by Muslims to be the place where [[Muhammad]] ascended into [[Heaven]], it is the third-holiest site in Islam.<ref name="holysites3">{{cite news|publisher=Associated Press |title=Arafat to be buried in soil from Islam's third holiest site |date=2004-11-11}}</ref>
* [[Imam Ali Mosque]]: Located in [[Najaf]], [[Iraq]]. A holy site for the [[Shi'ite]] branch of Islam.
* [[Hagia Sophia]]: A former Christian church during the [[Byzantine Empire]], it was captured and converted into a mosque in 1453 when the [[Ottoman Empire]] was established in [[Istanbul]]. It served as the city's principal mosque for nearly 500 years before being converted to a museum in 1934 under the secular government of President [[Kemal Atatürk]].<ref>http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/istanbul-hagia-sophia</ref>
* [[Lal Masjid]]: Radical mosque in Pakistan that was raided by the Pakistani police in 2007.

 
<center>
[[File:Kaaba.jpg]]

Masjid al-Haram, the holiest site in Islam.

<gallery perrow="6">
File:Friday - Mosque Afghanistan.jpg|Friday Mosque, [[Afghanistan]].
File:Kasbah of Algiers Mosque.jpg|Kasbah of [[Algiers]] Mosque.
File:Abu el-Abbas el-Mursi Mosque in Alexandria.jpg|Abu el-Abbas el-Mursi Mosque, [[Egypt]].
File:Acheen St. Mosque, Malaysa.jpg|Acheen Mosque, [[Malaysia]].
File:Badshahi Mosque, Pakistan.jpg|Badshahi Mosque, [[Pakistan]].
File:Badshahi Mosque.jpg|Badshahi Mosque, Pakistan.
</gallery>

<gallery>
File:Mosque Beirut.jpg|Mosque, Beirut, [[Lebanon]].
File:The Shahjahani Mosque in Thatta.jpg|The Shahjahani Mosque in Thatta, [[Pakistan]].
File:Omayyad Mosque Damascus Syria.jpg|Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, [[Syria]].

</gallery>

 
[[File:Masjid al-Nabawi Medina Saudi.jpg|500px]]

Masjid al-Nabawi, Medina, [[Saudi Arabia]].

</center>

== See also ==

[[File:Mosque in Flushing Queens New York City.jpg|thumb|Mosque in Flushing, Queens, New York City.]]
*[[Dome of the Rock]]
*[[Cathedral]]

[[File:Muslim girls at Istiqlal Mosque Jakarta Indonesia.jpg|thumb|left|Muslim girls at Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta, [[Indonesia]].]]
{{Clear}}

== External links ==
[[File:Mosque Iran.jpg|thumb|Nasir Almolk mosque, Shiraz, [[Iran]].]]

*[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/26/AR2010082605510.html Five myths about mosques in America.]

== References ==
<references/>

[[File:Saint Sophia Turkey.jpg|thumb|left|Hagia Sophia, [[Turkey]].]]

[[Category:Islam]][[Category:Places of Worship]]

Paris Peace Conference

2016-09-22T06:29:44Z

SteveV: /* Ottoman Empire divided up */ Correction

The '''Paris Peace Conference''' of 1919, also called the '''Versailles Conference''', was the most important [[Diplomacy|diplomatic]] meeting of the 20th century. The victorious [[Allied Powers]] of [[World War I]] dictated the peace terms to the defeated [[Central Powers]], declared explicitly the guilt of [[Germany]] for starting the war, and imposed very heavy reparations on Germany so that it would eventually pay all the costs of the war, rearranged the map of [[Europe]] to allow some [[self-determination]] and create numerous new nations (such as [[Poland]], [[Czechoslovakia]] and [[Yugoslavia]]), and created the [[League of Nations]] in order to prevent future wars. The major provisions were included in the '''Treaty of Versailles''', along with several other treaties. The [[United States of America|U.S.]] led by President [[Woodrow Wilson]] played a major role at Versailles, but the U.S. Senate rejected the Versailles Treaty and refused to join the League of Nations. Historians give a mixed verdict to the conference. Many believe it sowed the seeds of [[World War II]] by mistreatment of Germany, others say it was about as good a result as could have been expected.
[[Image:Lgeorge1.jpg|thumb|290px||A pleased British Prime Minister [[David Lloyd George]] brings an Easter egg to Britain in the form of the Versailles Peace Treaty, April 1919'']]

The Peace Conference met in [[Paris]] from January 1919 to January 1920, finishing its most important work regarding Germany in June 1919. It wrote five major treaties: (1) the Treaty of Versailles with Germany, June 28, 1919; (2) the Treaty of Saint-Germain with Austria, Sept. 10, 1919; (3) the Treaty of Neuilly with Bulgaria, Nov. 27, 1919; (4) the Treaty of Trianon with Hungary, June 4, 1920; and (5) the Treaty of Sèvres with Turkey, Aug. 20, 1920 (which was modified by the Treaty of Lausanne, July 24, 1923).
==Big Four==
[[Woodrow Wilson]] was the hope of idealists everywhere; even the Germans looked to him for a statesmanlike peace. But the cry for vengeance was strong among the Allies, especially the French. Wilson sought the self-determination of peoples, but there were many overlapping interests and no simple solution was possible. Secret agreements among the Allies, especially promises made to Italy, hindered Wilson's treaty-making, and, idolized though he was by the peoples of Europe, he had to modify his aims to the practical demands of [[Georges Clemenceau]] of France, [[David Lloyd George]] of Britain, and Vittorio Orlando of Italy.

Thirty-two nations were represented, but Germany, Austria and the Soviet Union were not invited. Each delegation brought specialists who analyzed information on the geography, history, and economic conditions of the various countries whose claims had to be adjudicated. Orlando was dissatisfied with territorial gains given Italy, and walked out of the inner council, which was charged with final decisions. That left the "Big Three," Wilson, Clemenceau, and Lloyd George, to decide the major terms of the peace.
==Disarmament==
Wilson compromised on several important points to get his main objective, the [[League of Nations]]. He agreed to the disarmament of Germany, although he had sought universal disarmament. But public opinion in the Allied states, fearing Germany, would not agree to their own national disarmament. The German army was limited to 100,000 men; compulsory military training was forbidden; voluntary enlistment was provided for, with a minimum service of 12 years; a limited navy was permitted; and submarines and military airplanes were forbidden. Austria, Hungary, and Bulgaria were, in the treaties signed with them, made subject to similar restrictions.
==Boundaries in western Europe==
Clemenceau and Wilson clashed over the statues of the west bank of the Rhine. France, anxious for security and riches, demanded to annex this area with its rich coal mines and industries. Wilson opposed the French, for their plan conflicted with his proposal for self-determination and no annexations; millions of Germans lived in the area. A compromise was worked out when Wilson agreed to sign a military treaty with France and Britain to guard against German aggression.<ref>This treaty was never ratified by the U.S. Senate</ref> The Allies were to occupy the left bank of the Rhine for 15 years. The coal mines of the Saar Basin were under control of France; the League of Nations was to administer the territory. The people of the Saar, after 15 years, were to vote to determine their future political status.<ref>In 1936 90% voted to rejoin German.</ref>
==Italy’s gains==
Wilson acceded to the Italian demands for territory in the Adriatic, which involved turning over to Italy large numbers of Slavs and Germans. Italy was awarded the entire Trentino region (where the language was German), the city of Trieste, and a large part of Istria, but Fiume was withheld from it on Wilson's insistence.<ref>Italian adventurers, led by poet Gabriele d'Annunzio, seized Fiume and kept it. Italy and the newly created state of Yugoslavia were then left to themselves to settle the question of the disputed territory.</ref>
==Colonies into mandates==
Wilson proposed that, instead of permitting an actual transfer of the colonies to new owners, the latter should administer them as trustees of the League of Nations. The areas were called "mandated" territories, and the trustees were to report to the league on their administration of them. The Treaty of Versailles took from Germany its colonial possessions and made them mandates under the nominal control of the League and the actual control of Britain, its dominions and France, Belgium and Japan. Britain directly took the mandate over German East Africa and part of the German Cameroons; the British self-governing dominions of South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, were given mandates for South-West Africa and the German areas in New Guinea and Samoa. France was given the mandate for most of German Togoland and the Cameroons. Belgium received a mandate for Ruanda-Urundi (Rwanda and Busundi), and Japan got mandates for the German islands in the Pacific north of the equator and Germany's lease on Tsingtao.
==Ottoman Empire divided up==
The defunct Ottoman Empire was divided into British and French mandates. Secret treaties among the powers had provided for such distribution, but after an uprising among the Turks, led by [[Mustafa Kemal Ataturk|Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) Pasha]], the Allies agreed to a revision of their demands.<ref>The 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which superseded the Treaty of Sevres, permitted Turkey to retain Eastern Thrace. Armenia was returned to Turkey.</ref> Syria was given to France; Britain received Mesopotamia, Transjordan, and Palestine; the Dodecanese Islands in the Aegean were given to Italy; the Hejaz, an Arabian territory along the Red Sea, was to be independent; it became Saudi Arabia.

Wilson was upset by repeated violations of his principle of self-determination of peoples, but he was particularly angered by Japan's acquisition of Tsingtao (Qingdao) in China. Japan agreed to return it to China in the future and did so in 1922.

==Reparations==
Germany (and the defunct Austro-Hungarian Empire) were declared to be guilty of starting the war. Reparations were imposed on Germany, and long disputes raged over what should be included in the list of damages to be paid by Germany. The Allies wanted Germany to pay the direct costs of the war plus all future veterans benefits. At first no fixed sum was stated, then in 1921 the figure of $33 billion became the minimum figure. Germany began payments, but negotiated reduced amounts and in 1932 stopped all payments.
==New nations==
The principle of self-determination of ethnic nationalities shaped most of the territorial settlements. A number of new states were created whose nationalistic aspirations, long submerged, were finally realize. Poland, which had been partitioned in the 1790s, was now restored. Indeed, a Polish Republic was already operational at the end of 1918. The Conference pondered how to draw its boundaries; a key decision was a strip of territory, known as the "Polish Corridor," that gave Poland access to the Baltic. This "corridor" cut off East Prussia from the rest of Germany. The new Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, as well as Finland, became independent of Russia.

As the war ended the Austro-Hungarian Empire no longer existed. It gave way to the new independent states of Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and an enlarged Romania; but the boundaries of these states were uncertain. The statesmen at Versailles fixed the boundaries more precisely. The problem was complex because of the intermixture of peoples and their bitter rivalries. The Czechs came off very well, although here as elsewhere the Wilsonian principle of self-determination was largely ignored. Romania was doubled in size with the addition of Transylvania and Hungarian territory. The new nation of Yugoslavia was created out of the old kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro, a portion of Bulgaria, and Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, and part of the Banat of Temesvar. Austria was left a small state of 6,500,000 Austrian Germans, one third of whom lived in an impoverished Vienna—a world class city that rules a small country. Hungary became independent with much reduced territory and a population of 8,000,000. Despite the violations of Wilson's principle of self-determination, the map of Europe after the war conformed more to the desires of the various nationalities than did the map of 1914.

Irish nationalists in the U.S. thought Wilson had promised to work for Irish independence if the Irish supported his war effort. At Versailles Wilson made no effort to redeem any such promises, and the Irish Americans felt betrayed. They turned against Wilson and his Versailles treaty.
==League of Nations==
It was hoped by Wilson, South African General [[Jan Smuts]], British Lord Robert Cecil, and others idealists that a [[League of Nations]] would guarantee the security of all nations. There was general agreement as to the advisability of such a league; only its form and powers were in question. The league was created with four operating groups: a secretariat, council, assembly, and an international court of justice. The league set up machinery which could be used by member states to prevent war. It also set up various agencies to deal with other problems. The League went into operation, but could not prevent or end wars.

The Covenant of the League of Nations was part of the Treaty of Versailles that Germany was forced to sign, as the Allies kept up a food blockade with near-starvation conditions inside Germany. The German delegation at first refused to sign because the treaty was not in accord with the [[Fourteen Points]] Wilson had proclaimed a year earlier (but which Germany had never accepted). Finally, the German National Assembly, under protest, accepted the treaty on June 23, 1919. The official signing was dramatically staged five days later in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.

==See also==
• [[World War I]]
• [[World War II]]
==Bibliography==
* Albrecht-Carrie, Rene. ''Italy at the Paris Peace Conference'' (1938) [http://www.questia.com/read/27941224?title=Italy%20at%20the%20Paris%20Peace%20Conference%20(Part%20One%20%22The%20Orlando-Sonnino%20Ministry%20(November%2c%201918%20-%20June%2c%201919)%22) online edition]
* Ambrosius, Lloyd E. "Woodrow Wilson and George W. Bush: Historical Comparisons of Ends and Means in Their Foreign Policies," ''Diplomatic History'', 30 (June 2006), 509–43. [http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/loi/diph online at Blackwell Synergy]; also [http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-567650/Woodrow-Wilson-and-World-War.html excerpt online]
* Ambrosius, Lloyd E. ''Woodrow Wilson and the American Diplomatic Tradition: The Treaty Fight in Perspective'' (1990) [http://www.amazon.com/Woodrow-Wilson-American-Diplomatic-Tradition/dp/0521385857/ref=sr_1_17/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192011082&sr=8-17 excerpt and text search]
* Andelman, David A. ''A Shattered Peace: Versailles 1919 and the Price We Pay Today'' (2007) popular history that stresses multiple long-term disasters caused by Treaty. [http://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Peace-Versailles-Price-Today/dp/0471788988/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210532673&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Bailey; Thomas A. ''Wilson and the Peacemakers: Combining Woodrow Wilson and the Lost Peace and Woodrow Wilson and the Great Betrayal'' (1947) [http://www.questia.com/library/book/wilson-and-the-peacemakers-combining-woodrow-wilson-and-the-lost-peace-and-woodrow-wilson-and-the-great-betrayal-by-thomas-a-bailey.jsp online edition]
* Birdsall, Paul. ''Versailles twenty years after'' (1941) well balanced older account
* Boemeke, Manfred F., et al., eds. ''The Treaty of Versailles: A Reassessment after 75 Years'' (1998). major collection of important papers by scholars [http://www.amazon.com/Treaty-Versailles-Reassessment-Publications-Historical/dp/0521621321/ref=sip_rech_dp_7 excerpt and text search]
* Clements, Kendrick, A. ''Woodrow Wilson: World Statesman'' (1999) [http://www.amazon.com/Woodrow-Wilson-Statesman-Kendrick-Clements/dp/1566632676/ref=sr_1_1/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192010890&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Cooper, John Milton. ''Breaking the Heart of the World: Woodrow Wilson and the Fight for the League of Nations'' (2001) 454pp [http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Heart-World-Milton-Cooper/dp/0521807867/ref=sr_1_3/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192010636&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search]
* Greene, Theodore P. Ed. ''Wilson at Versailles'' (1957), shortr excerpts from scholars [http://www.questia.com/read/9467242 online edition]
* Henig, Ruth. ''Versailles and After: 1919-1933'' (2nd ed. 1995), 100 pages; brief introduction by scholar [http://www.amazon.com/Versailles-After-1919-1933-Lancaster-Pamphlets/dp/0415127106/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_c excerpt and text search]
* Keynes, John Maynard, ''The Economic Consequences of the Peace'' (1920) famous criticism by leading economist [http://books.google.com/books?id=0VcKN-RbPnoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=intitle:Economic+intitle:Consequences+intitle:of+intitle:the+intitle:Peace&lr=&num=30&as_brr=0 full text online]
* Knock, Thomas J. ''To End All Wars: Woodrow Wilson and the Quest for a New World Order'' (1995) [http://www.amazon.com/End-All-Wars-Woodrow-Wilson/dp/0691001502/ref=sr_1_8/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192010890&sr=8-8 excerpt and text search]
* Lederer, Ivo J. ''The Versailles Settlement--Was It Foredoomed to Failure?'' (1960) excerpts from scholars [http://www.questia.com/read/6098836?title=The%20Versailles%20Settlement--Was%20It%20Foredoomed%20to%20Failure%3f online edition]
* Levin, Jr., N. Gordon ''Woodrow Wilson and World Politics: America's Response to War and Revolution'' (1968), New Left [http://www.amazon.com/Woodrow-Wilson-World-Politics-Revolution/dp/0195008030/ref=sr_1_3/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192011152&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search]
* Link, Arthur S. ''Wilson the Diplomatist: A Look at His Major Foreign Policies'' (1957) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=9422144 online edition]
* Macmillan, Margaret. ''Peacemakers: The Paris Conference of 1919 and Its Attempt to End War'' (2002), also published as ''Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World'' (2003); highly influential study [http://www.amazon.com/Paris-1919-Months-Changed-World/dp/0375760520/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210532673&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]
* Mayer, Arno J., ''Politics and Diplomacy of Peacemaking: Containment and Counter-revolution at Versailles, 1918-1919'' (1967), leftist
* Newton, Douglas. ''British Policy and the Weimar Republic, 1918-1919'' (1997). 484 pgs.
* Schwabe, Klaus. ''Woodrow Wilson, Revolutionary Germany, and Peacemaking, 1918-1919: Missionary Diplomacy and the Realities of Power'' (1985) [http://www.questia.com/read/104678514 online edition]
* Steiner, Zara. ''The Lights that Failed: European International History 1919-1933'' (Oxford History of Modern Europe) (2007), major scholarly work [http://www.amazon.com/Lights-that-Failed-International-1919-1933/dp/0199226865/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231806541&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* Walworth, Arthur. ''Wilson and His Peacemakers: American Diplomacy at the Paris Peace Conference, 1919'' (1986) 618pp [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=104399613 online edition]
* Watson, David Robin. ''Georges Clemenceau: A Political Biography'' (1976) 463 pgs. [http://www.questia.com/read/102168963?title=Georges%20Clemenceau%3a%20A%20Political%20Biography online edition]

====notes====
<references/>

[[Category:World War I]]
[[Category:World War II]]
[[Category:Diplomacy]]
[[Category:German History]]
[[Category:European History]]

Sacred cow

2016-09-22T06:25:55Z

SteveV: Correction

A '''sacred cow''' is an [[idea]], object, person, or other thing considered so sacred or valuable to a person or group that it is considered immune from criticism, or (more commonly) criticism is considered morally reprehensible in and of itself.

Sacred cows can be identified by the disproportionate personal attacks and/or censorship elicited by criticism.

Examples of contemporary sacred cows include:
* [[Evolution]] among evolutionists;
* [[Global warming]] among environmentalists;
* [[Atatürk]] among Turks;
* [[Muhammad]] among Muslims;
* [[Atheism and mass murder]] among atheists;
* The place of birth of [[Barack Hussein Obama]] among Democrats;
* [[Abortion and breast cancer]] link amongst pro-choicers;
* [[Liberalism]] among liberals

== Origin ==
The term comes from belief in Hindu (and other ancient religions) that cows are holy, and must therefore not be eaten or otherwise harmed. In Hinduism, cows are believed to be reincarnated humans; therefore, Hindus do not eat beef or kill cows and they are left to wander aimlessly through city streets and across busy roads. Similarly, many other ancient religions (such as Zoroastrianism) woshipped cows, and the Israelites created a [[Golden calf]] to worship in the wilderness.

The use of the term as a [[simile]] and [[metaphor]] originated in the United States in the late 19th century. For example:

* The New York Herald, March 1890: "While the great ditch may be regarded as one of the commercial diversities of the commonwealth, to worship it as a sort of sacred cow is not necessarily a work of true statesmanship."

* The Galveston Daily News, September 1909: "They understand Mr. Bryan's position to be one of antagonism to the contention that raw material is a 'sacred cow,' immune from tariff reform, ever to be upon the dutiable list and in consequence enjoying the blessings of incidental protection."

[[Category:Hinduism]]
[[Category:Idioms]]

1881

2016-09-22T06:24:16Z

SteveV: Correction

In '''1881''', many important events occurred:
*[[Pablo Picasso]] was born in Malaga, [[Spain]].
*[[Alexander Fleming]], the discoverer of [[penicillin]] was born.
*[[Alexander II]] was assassinated.
*[[Clara Barton]] formed The [[American Red Cross]].
*[[Atatürk]], the founder of the modern state of [[Turkey]], was born.
*[[Benjamin Disraeli]] died.
*[[Billy the Kid]] died.
*[[Rutherford B. Hayes]], [[Chester A. Arthur]] and [[James Garfield]] (assassinated) were all in the [[White House]].

[[Category:Years]]

Turkish language

2016-09-22T06:09:46Z

SteveV: Correction

'''Turkish''' (''Türkçe'') is an [[Altaic language]] of the Turkic subgroup. It is spoken by the entirety of the country of [[Turkey]] and by a number of Turks living around the world.

Until [[Kemal Atatürk]] became the first President of Turkey, Turkish was written in the Arabic alphabet. Atatürk changed the script to the [[Latin alphabet]], in an effort to increase literacy. However, Turkish still has a lot of [[Arabic language|Arabic]] loanwords.

[[File:Turkish People.jpg|thumb|380px|center|Turkish People.]]

==See also==
*[[Altaic languages]]

[[Category:Altaic languages]]

Turkiye

2016-09-21T07:04:08Z

SteveV: /* History */ Correction

For the animal with the same name see [[Turkey (bird)]]

{{Country
|name =''Türkiye Cumhuriyeti''
|map =Turkey rel 2006.jpg
|flag =Flag of Turkey.png
|arms =Arms of Turkey.png
|capital =Ankara
|capital-raw =
|government =Parliamentary republic
|government-raw =
|language =Turkish
|king =
|queen =
|monarch-raw =
|president =Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
|president-raw =
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =Binali Yıldırım
|pm-raw =
|area =302,535 sq mi
|pop =78,785,000
|pop-basis =2011
|gdp =$508 billion
|gdp-year =2008
|gdp-pc =$6,670
|currency =Turkish lira
|idd =
|tld =
}}
The '''Republic of Turkey''' is a country occupying the Anatolian Peninsula of western [[Asia]], as well as a small section of eastern [[Europe]] at the Bosporus Strait.

==People==
[[File:Children in traditional dress Istanbul Turkey.jpg|thumb|left|Children in traditional dress, Istanbul.]]
Modern Turkey encompasses bustling cosmopolitan centers, pastoral farming villages, barren wastelands, peaceful Aegean coastlines, and steep mountain regions. More than half of Turkey's population lives in urban areas that juxtapose Western lifestyles with more traditional ways of life.

The Turkish state has been officially [[secular]] since 1924. Approximately 99% of the population is [[Muslim]]. Most Turkish Muslims follow the [[Sunni]] traditions of Islam, although a significant number follow Alevi and [[Shiite]] traditions. Questions regarding role of religion in society and government, the role of linguistic and ethnic identity, and the public's expectation to live in security dominate public discourse. Turkish citizens who assert a [[Kurds|Kurdish]] identity constitute an ethnic and linguistic group that is estimated at up to 12 million in number.
*Population (2006): 72.9 million.
*Annual population growth rate (2004 est.): 1.33%.
*Ethnic groups: Turkish, Kurdish, other.
*Religions: Muslim 99%, Christian, Bahai, and Jewish.
*Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Zaza, Arabic, Armenian, Greek.
*Education: Years compulsory—8. Attendance—97.6%. Literacy—86.5%.
*Health: Infant mortality rate—39.4/1,000. Life expectancy—68.5 yrs.
*Work force (23 million): Agriculture—35.6%; industry—17.5%; services—47.2%.

[[File:Ankara panorama Turkey.jpg|thumb|center|700px|The capital Ankara.]]

==Government and Political Conditions==
[[File:Turkish Parliament in Ankara.jpg|thumb|300px|The Parliament in Ankara.]]
The 1982 Constitution, drafted by the military in the wake of a 1980 military coup, proclaims Turkey's system of government as democratic, secular, and parliamentary. The presidency's powers are not precisely defined in practice, and the president's influence depends on his personality and political weight. The president and the Council of Ministers led by the prime minister share executive powers. The president, who has broad powers of appointment and supervision, is chosen by Parliament for a term of 7 years and cannot be reelected. A constitutional amendment recommending the direct election by the people of the president to a 5-year term, with the possibility of serving a second 5-year term, may be submitted to a popular referendum in 2007. The prime minister administers the government. The prime minister and the Council of Ministers are responsible to Parliament.

The 550-member Parliament carries out legislative functions. Election is by proportional representation. To participate in the distribution of seats, a party must obtain at least 10% of the votes cast at the national level as well as a percentage of votes in the contested district according to a complex formula. The president enacts laws passed by Parliament within 15 days. With the exception of budgetary laws, the president may return a law to the Parliament for reconsideration. If Parliament reenacts the law, it is binding, although the president may then apply to the Constitutional Court for a reversal of the law. Constitutional amendments pass with a 60% vote, but require a popular referendum unless passed with a two-thirds majority; the president may also submit amendments passed with a two-thirds majority to a popular referendum.

The judiciary is declared to be independent, but the need for judicial reform and confirmation of its independence are subjects of open debate. Internationally recognized human rights, including freedom of thought, expression, assembly, and travel, are officially enshrined in the Constitution but have at times been narrowly interpreted, can be limited in times of emergency and cannot be used to violate what the Constitution and the courts consider the integrity of the state or to impose a system of government based on religion, ethnicity, or the domination of one social class. The Constitution prohibits torture or ill treatment; the current government has focused on ensuring that practice matches principle. Labor rights, including the right to strike, are recognized in the Constitution but can be restricted.

The 1982 Constitution provides for a system of State Security Courts to deal with offenses against the integrity of the state. The high court system includes a Constitutional Court responsible for judicial review of legislation, a Court of Cassation (or Supreme Court of Appeals), a Council of State serving as the high administrative and appeals court, a Court of Accounts, and a Military Court of Appeals. The High Council of Judges and Prosecutors, appointed by the president, supervises the judiciary.

In the November 2002 election of Turkey's 58th government, the Justice and Development Party (AK) captured 34.3% of the total votes, making Abdullah Gul Prime Minister, followed by the Republican People's Party (CHP) with 19.39% of the vote, led by Deniz Baykal. A special General Election was held again in the province of Siirt in March 2003, resulting in the election of AK's chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to a seat in parliament, allowing him to become prime minister. AK and CHP were the only parties to surpass the 10% threshold required to hold seats in parliament. The elections resulted in 363 of the 550 seats going to AK, 178 seats to CHP, and 9 as independent. Due to a reshuffle in party affiliation, AK holds 367 seats, CHP holds 175 seats, five are independent, and three joined the True Path Party (DYP). In March 2004 nationwide local elections, AKP won 57 of 81 provincial capital municipalities and, with 41.8% of the votes for provincial council seats, consolidated its hold on power.
[[File:Turkish president Abdullah Gul.jpg|thumb|240px|Former Turkish president [[Abdullah Gül]].]]
The Turkish Grand National Assembly was to have elected in May 2007 a new president to succeed President Sezer on June 16. Opposition parties led a challenge to the electoral procedures, which resulted in a series of proposed constitutional amendments and the call for early general elections on July 22. The new parliament, which was sworn in on July 28, includes 341 AKP members, 98 CHP members, 70 Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) members, 20 Democratic Society Party (DTP) members, 13 Democratic Left Party (DSP) members, and 7 independents. Following the election, Sezer reappointed Erdoğan as PM and then-Foreign Minister Gul declared his presidential candidacy. The parliament elected Gul in the third round of voting on August 28. President Gul approved Erdoğan's proposed cabinet on August 30, and the new government received a vote of confidence on September 5.

Since 2014 [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] is the president of Turkey.

Human-right abuses, especially against [[Christians]] remains a problem
<ref>http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78844.htm</ref> and the frequency of violent attacks on Christian ministers and priests is still high
<ref>http://washingtontimes.com/upi/20070418-030533-9552</ref>
.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5139408.stm</ref>
{{Clear}}
===Principal Government Officials===
*President of the Republic—Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
*Prime Minister—Binali Yıldırım
*Minister of Foreign Affairs—Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu
*Ambassador to the United States—
*Ambassador to the United Nations—

===Foreign Relations===
[[File:Turkish girls laughing in calimanesti.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Turkish dancers in a festival in [[Romania]].]]
Turkey's primary political, economic, and security ties are with the West, although some voices call for a more "Eurasian" orientation.

Turkey entered NATO in 1952 and serves as the organization's vital eastern anchor, controlling the straits leading from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and sharing a border with Syria, Iraq, and Iran. A NATO headquarters is located in Izmir. Besides its relationships with NATO and the EU, Turkey is a member of the OECD, the Council of Europe, and OSCE. Turkey also is a member of the UN and the Islamic Conference Organization (OIC). In December 1999, Turkey became a candidate for EU membership. On December 17, 2004, the EU decided to begin formal accession negotiations with Turkey in October 2005.

Turkey and the EU formed a customs union beginning January 1, 1996. The agreement covers industrial and processed agricultural goods. Turkey is harmonizing its laws and regulations with EU standards. Turkey adopted the EU's Common External Tariff regime, effectively lowering Turkey's tariffs for third countries, including the United States.

On October 3, 2005, Turkey and the EU reached agreement for Turkey to begin negotiations on accession to the European Union. Turkey and EU officials have begun the process of screening Turkey's laws and policies in order to begin negotiating the individual chapters required for ultimate EU accession. However, this admission request has not been without criticism,<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2420697.stm</ref> including:
*Serious human rights violations<ref>http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070419-0809-italy-turkey-eu.html</ref>
*Refusal to admit genocide of [[Armenia]]<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6043730.stm</ref>
*Refusal to recognize [[Cyprus]]<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6153186.stm</ref>
*Only 3% of Turkey is in [[Europe]]
*Threat of increasing [[Islamic]] fundamentalism<ref>http://www.freemuslims.org/news/article.php?article=1761</ref>

Turkey opened and provisionally closed in 2006 one EU negotiating chapter on science and technology. Another chapter on statistics was opened in February 2007, and two more are expected to be opened by July 1, 2007. Eight chapters, mostly related to trade, were suspended by the European Council in December 2006 after Turkey declined to open its ports and airports to Cypriot vessels—a commitment Turkey made as part of the Ankara Protocol and its EU Customs Union membership.

Turkey is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It has signed free trade agreements with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Israel, and many other countries. In 1992 Turkey and 10 other regional nations formed the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Council to expand regional trade and economic cooperation. Turkey chaired BSEC in 2007 and hosted in Istanbul the 15th BSEC Summit in June 2007.

===Relations with the United States===
U.S.-Turkish friendship dates to the late 18th century and was officially sealed by a treaty in 1830. The present close relationship began with the agreement of July 12, 1947, which implemented the Truman Doctrine. As part of the cooperative effort to further Turkish economic and military self-reliance, the United States has loaned and granted Turkey more than $12.5 billion in economic aid and more than $14 billion in military assistance.

U.S.-Turkish relations focus on areas such as strategic energy cooperation, trade and investment, security ties, regional stability, the global war on terrorism, and human rights progress. Relations were strained when Turkey refused in March 2003 to allow U.S. troops to deploy through its territory to Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom, but regained momentum steadily thereafter and mutual interests remain strong across a wide spectrum of issues. On July 5, 2006, Secretary Rice and then-Foreign Minister Gul signed a Shared Vision Statement to highlight the common values and goals between our two countries and to lay out a framework for increased strategic dialogue.

The U.S. and Turkey have had a Joint Economic Commission and a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, which last met in Washington in April 2007, for several years. In 2002, the two countries indicated their joint intent to upgrade bilateral economic relations by launching an Economic Partnership Commission, which last convened in Ankara in February 2007. In 2006, Turkish exports to the U.S. totaled about $5.4 billion, and U.S. exports to Turkey totaled $5.7 billion.

[[Condoleezza Rice]] ones described Turkey as “a vital and strategic partner of the United States”. But since the tenure of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan these times are over.<ref>http://www.nationalreview.com/article/348422/erdo%C4%9Fan%E2%80%99s-agenda</ref> For example, he equated [[Zionism]] with [[Fascism]], [[John Kerry]] criticized him for this statement.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/01/official-kerry-to-rap-turkey-pm-for-remark/</ref>

==Economy==
[[Image:Framed medallion Turkey.jpg|300px|thumb|Framed medallion.]]
Turkey is a large, middle-income country with relatively few natural resources. Its economy is currently in transition from a high degree of reliance on agriculture and heavy industrial economy to a more diversified economy with an increasingly large and globalized services sector. Coming out of a tradition of a state-directed economy that was relatively closed to the outside world, Prime Minister and then President Turgut Ozal began to open up the economy in the 1980s, leading to the signing of a Customs Union with the European Union in 1995. In the 1990s, Turkey's economy suffered from a series of coalition governments with weak economic policies, leading to high-inflation boom-and-bust cycles that culminated in a severe banking and economic crisis in 2001 and a deep economic downturn (GNP fell 9.5% in 2001) and increase in unemployment.

Turkey's economy has recovered strongly from the 2001 thanks to good monetary and fiscal policies and structural economic reforms made with the support of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The independence of the Central Bank has been firmly established, a floating exchange rate system has been put in place, and the government's overall budget deficit has been substantially reduced. In addition, there have been substantial reforms in the financial, energy, and telecommunications sectors that have included the privatization of several large state-owned institutions.

Turkey's economy grew an average of 7.5% per year from 2002 through 2006—one of the highest sustained rates of growth in the world. It is expected to grow about 6.1% in 2007. Inflation and interest rates have fallen significantly, the currency has stabilized, government debt has declined to more supportable levels, and business and consumer confidence have returned. At the same time, booming economic growth has contributed to a growing current account deficit. Though Turkey's vulnerabilities have been greatly reduced, the economy could still face problems in the event there is a sudden change in investor sentiment that leads to a sharp fall in the exchange rate. Continued implementation of reforms, including tight fiscal policy, is essential to sustain growth and stability.

After years of low levels of foreign direct investment (FDI), in 2006, Turkey succeeded in attracting $18.9 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) and is expected to attract a similar level in 2007. A series of large privatizations, the stability fostered by the start of Turkey's EU accession negotiations, strong and stable growth, and structural changes in the banking, retail, and telecommunications sectors have all contributed to the rise in foreign investment. Turkey has taken steps to improve its investment climate through administrative streamlining, an end to foreign investment screening, and strengthened intellectual property legislation. However, a number of disputes involving foreign investors in Turkey and certain policies, such as high taxation and continuing gaps in the intellectual property regime, inhibit investment. Turkey has a number of bilateral investment and tax treaties, including with the United States, which guarantee free repatriation of capital in convertible currencies and eliminate double taxation.
*GDP: (2004) $300.6 billion; (2005) $361.5 billion; (2006) $390.4 billion.
*Annual real GDP growth rate: (2004) (+) 8.9%; (2005) 7.4%; (2006) 6.0%.
*GDP per capita: (2004) $4,187; (2005) $5,016; (2006) $5,349.
*Annual inflation rate /CPI: (2003) 18.4%; (2004) 9.3%; (2005) 7.7%; (2006) 9.7%.
*Natural resources: Coal, chromium, mercury, copper, boron, oil, gold.
*Agriculture (10.8% of GNP): Major cash crops—cotton, sugar beets, hazelnuts, wheat, barley, and tobacco. Provides 26% of jobs and 4% of exports.
*Industry (25.4% of GNP): Major growth sector, types—automotive, electronics, food processing, textiles, basic metals, chemicals, and petrochemicals. Provides 20% of jobs.
*Trade: Exports (merchandise)--(2005) $73.1 billion; (2006) $83.5 billion: textiles and apparel, industrial machinery, iron and steel, electronics, petroleum products, and motor vehicles. Imports (merchandise)--(2005) $116 billion; (2006) 135.5 billion: petroleum, machinery, motor vehicles, electronics, iron and steel, plastics precious metals. Major partners—Germany, U.S., Italy, France, Russia, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, U.K.

====European Union accession====
Turkey's principal ongoing economic challenge is providing for the needs of a fast-growing, young population. Raising living standards to those prevalent in Europe will require high rates of GDP growth sustained over many years. This will entail continued structural reforms that encourage both domestic and foreign investment. Principal areas for reform identified by international financial intuitions include increasing flexibility in the labor market, making the educational sector more responsive to the needs of the economy and ensuring faster and more predictable operation of the judicial system. As an aspirant to membership in the European Union, Turkey aims to adopt the EU's basic system of national law and regulation (the acquis communautaire) by 2014. While implementing some elements of the acquis will be costly and difficult (for example in the areas of environmental protection and agriculture), its adoption will make a significant contribution to modernizing the economy.

====Energy====
[[File:Electric Energy Grid Turkey.jpg|thumb|360px|Electric Energy Grid.]]
Installed electricity generation capacity in Turkey reached 35,600 megawatts (MW) as of 2004. Fossil fuels account for 71% of the total installed capacity and hydro, geothermal, and wind account for the remaining 28%. The growth in electricity generation has remained below electricity demand until recently, which has made Turkey a net importer of electricity since 1997. The growth of energy demand slowed somewhat as a result of the 2001 economic crisis, but has picked up again. Turkish authorities expect a significant electricity shortfall unless new facilities become operational. The Government of Turkey took some important steps in 2001 to liberalize its energy sector, including passage of the Electricity Market Law and establishment of the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA). However, the government has moved slowly to follow through on plans to liberalize and privatize the electricity and natural gas sectors. In 2004, the High Planning Council approved the Electricity Sector Reform Strategy to renew the reform process.

Oil provides about 43% of Turkey's total energy requirements; around 90% is imported. Domestic production is mostly from small fields in the southeast. New exploration is taking place in the eastern Black Sea. In 2004, the Parliament approved a petroleum market reform bill that liberalized consumer prices and would lead to the privatization of the state refining company TUPRAS. TUPRAS was privatized in 2005, but this has been held up by court cases still in process. Turkey has a refining capacity of 802,275 barrels per day (b/d).

Turkey acts as an important link in the East-West Southern Energy Corridor bringing Caspian, Central Asian, and Middle Eastern energy to Europe and world markets. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which came online in July 2006, delivers 1 million b/d of petroleum, and in 2007, the South Caucasus Pipeline (from Shah Deniz) is expected to bring natural gas from Azerbaijan to Turkey. Turkey is building an interconnector pipeline to Greece, an important step in bringing Caspian natural gas to Europe via Turkey.

====Telecommunications====
[[File:Turk map.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Turkey map.]]
Parliament enacted legislation separating telecommunications policy and regulatory functions in January 2000, by establishing an independent regulatory body, the Telecommunication Authority. The Authority is responsible for issuing licenses, supervising operators, and taking necessary technical measures against violations of the rules. Most regulatory functions of the Transport Ministry were transferred to the Authority, and the regulator is slowly gaining competence and independence. The long-expected privatization of the state-owned telecommunications company was accomplished by the sale of 55% of Turk Telekom to the Saudi-owned Oger Group in November 2005. With liberalization and growth in the economy, there is growing competition for Internet provision, but Turk Telekom remains the sole provider of ADSL wide band Internet.

====Environment====
[[File:TurkishForest.jpg|thumb|left|280px|Turkish forest.]]
With the establishment of the Environment Ministry in 1991, Turkey began to make significant progress addressing its most pressing environmental problems. The most dramatic improvements were significant reductions of air pollution in Istanbul and Ankara. However, progress has been slow on the remaining—and serious—environmental challenges facing Turkey.

In 2003, the Ministry of Environment was merged with the Forestry Ministry. With its goal to join the EU, Turkey has made commendable progress in updating and modernizing its environmental legislation. However, environmental concerns are not fully integrated into public decision-making and enforcement can be weak. Turkey faces a backlog of environmental problems, requiring enormous outlays for infrastructure. The most pressing needs are for water treatment plants, wastewater treatment facilities, solid waste management, and conservation of biodiversity. The discovery of a number of chemical waste sites in 2006 has highlighted weakness in environmental law and oversight.
{{Clear}}

====Transportation====
The Turkish Government gives a special priority to major infrastructure projects, especially in the transport sector. The government is in the process of building new airports and highways, thanks to an increased public investment budget. The government will realize many of these projects by utilizing the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.

==History==
[[Image:St. Sophie Turkey.jpg|right|280px|thumb|Hagia Sofia, Istanbul]]
[[Mustafa Kemal]], celebrated by the Turkish State as a Turkish [[World War I]] hero and later known as "Atatürk" or "father of the Turks," led the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 after the collapse of the 600-year-old [[Ottoman Empire]] and a three-year war of independence. The empire, which at its peak controlled vast stretches of northern Africa, southeastern Europe, and western Asia, had failed to keep pace with European social and technological developments. The rise of national consciousness impelled several national groups within the Empire to seek independence as nation-states, leading to the empire's fragmentation. This process culminated in the disastrous Ottoman participation in World War I as a German ally. Defeated, shorn of much of its former territory, and partly occupied by forces of the victorious European states, the Ottoman structure was repudiated by Turkish nationalists brought together under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal. The nationalists expelled invading Greek, Russian, French and Italian forces from Anatolia in a bitter war. After the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey the temporal and religious ruling institutions of the old empire (the sultanate and caliphate) were abolished.
[[File:Muslims in Europe map.jpg|thumb|320px|left|Muslims in Europe by country.]]
The leaders of the new republic concentrated on consolidating their power and modernizing and Westernizing what had been the empire's core—Asian Anatolia and a part of European Thrace. Social, political, linguistic, and economic reforms and attitudes decreed by Atatürk from 1924-1934 continue to be referred to as the ideological base of modern Turkey. In the post-Atatürk era, and especially after the military coup of 1960, this ideology came to be known as "Kemalism" and his reforms began to be referred to as "revolutions." Kemalism comprises a Turkish form of secularism, strong nationalism, statism, and to a degree a western orientation. The continued validity and applicability of Kemalism are the subject of lively debate in Turkey's political life. The current ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) comes from a tradition that challenges many of the Kemalist precepts and is driven in its reform efforts by a desire to achieve EU accession.

Turkey entered [[World War II]] on the Allied side until shortly before the war ended, becoming a charter member of the [[United Nations]]. Difficulties faced by [[Greece]] after World War II in quelling a communist rebellion and demands by the [[Soviet Union]] for military bases in the Turkish Straits prompted the United States to declare the [[Truman Doctrine]] in 1947. The doctrine enunciated American intentions to guarantee the security of Turkey and Greece and resulted in large scale U.S. military and economic aid under the [[Marshall Plan]]. After participating with United Nations forces in the [[Korean War|Korean conflict]], Turkey in 1952 joined the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO). Turkey is currently a [[European Union]] candidate, although this has been clouded by their refusal to acknowledge the [[Armenian genocide]].

== See also ==
[[File:Blue mosque Istanbul Turkey.jpg|thumb|The Blue Mosque, Istanbul.]]
*[[Mustafa Kemal Ataturk|Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]]
*[[Battle of Adrianople]]
*[[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]]
*[[Parthia]]
*[[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]]
*[[Oriental art]]
{{Clear}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.nuktravel.com/turkey.html WELCOME TO TURKEY]
*[http://bertschlossberg.blogspot.com/ A Turkish Delight: they think so in Israel also!]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{| style="width: 100%; background:transparent; border: 2px solid #000099;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1"
!colspan=2 style="width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #000088; color: white; "|'''Copyright Details'''
|-
!style="background-color: #000088; color:white;"|License:
|style=" background-color: none;"| This work is in the [[Public Domain]] in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the U.S. Code
|-
!style=" background-color: #000088; color:white;"|Source:
|style="background-color: none;border-top: 2px solid black"| File available from the {{{1|[[United States Federal Government]] [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3432.htm]}}}.
|}

{{Asian Countries}}

[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:NATO Members]]
[[Category:Turkey]]
[[Category:Muslim-Majority Countries]]

Turkiye

2016-09-21T07:02:31Z

SteveV: /* Principal Government Officials */

For the animal with the same name see [[Turkey (bird)]]

{{Country
|name =''Türkiye Cumhuriyeti''
|map =Turkey rel 2006.jpg
|flag =Flag of Turkey.png
|arms =Arms of Turkey.png
|capital =Ankara
|capital-raw =
|government =Parliamentary republic
|government-raw =
|language =Turkish
|king =
|queen =
|monarch-raw =
|president =Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
|president-raw =
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =Binali Yıldırım
|pm-raw =
|area =302,535 sq mi
|pop =78,785,000
|pop-basis =2011
|gdp =$508 billion
|gdp-year =2008
|gdp-pc =$6,670
|currency =Turkish lira
|idd =
|tld =
}}
The '''Republic of Turkey''' is a country occupying the Anatolian Peninsula of western [[Asia]], as well as a small section of eastern [[Europe]] at the Bosporus Strait.

==People==
[[File:Children in traditional dress Istanbul Turkey.jpg|thumb|left|Children in traditional dress, Istanbul.]]
Modern Turkey encompasses bustling cosmopolitan centers, pastoral farming villages, barren wastelands, peaceful Aegean coastlines, and steep mountain regions. More than half of Turkey's population lives in urban areas that juxtapose Western lifestyles with more traditional ways of life.

The Turkish state has been officially [[secular]] since 1924. Approximately 99% of the population is [[Muslim]]. Most Turkish Muslims follow the [[Sunni]] traditions of Islam, although a significant number follow Alevi and [[Shiite]] traditions. Questions regarding role of religion in society and government, the role of linguistic and ethnic identity, and the public's expectation to live in security dominate public discourse. Turkish citizens who assert a [[Kurds|Kurdish]] identity constitute an ethnic and linguistic group that is estimated at up to 12 million in number.
*Population (2006): 72.9 million.
*Annual population growth rate (2004 est.): 1.33%.
*Ethnic groups: Turkish, Kurdish, other.
*Religions: Muslim 99%, Christian, Bahai, and Jewish.
*Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Zaza, Arabic, Armenian, Greek.
*Education: Years compulsory—8. Attendance—97.6%. Literacy—86.5%.
*Health: Infant mortality rate—39.4/1,000. Life expectancy—68.5 yrs.
*Work force (23 million): Agriculture—35.6%; industry—17.5%; services—47.2%.

[[File:Ankara panorama Turkey.jpg|thumb|center|700px|The capital Ankara.]]

==Government and Political Conditions==
[[File:Turkish Parliament in Ankara.jpg|thumb|300px|The Parliament in Ankara.]]
The 1982 Constitution, drafted by the military in the wake of a 1980 military coup, proclaims Turkey's system of government as democratic, secular, and parliamentary. The presidency's powers are not precisely defined in practice, and the president's influence depends on his personality and political weight. The president and the Council of Ministers led by the prime minister share executive powers. The president, who has broad powers of appointment and supervision, is chosen by Parliament for a term of 7 years and cannot be reelected. A constitutional amendment recommending the direct election by the people of the president to a 5-year term, with the possibility of serving a second 5-year term, may be submitted to a popular referendum in 2007. The prime minister administers the government. The prime minister and the Council of Ministers are responsible to Parliament.

The 550-member Parliament carries out legislative functions. Election is by proportional representation. To participate in the distribution of seats, a party must obtain at least 10% of the votes cast at the national level as well as a percentage of votes in the contested district according to a complex formula. The president enacts laws passed by Parliament within 15 days. With the exception of budgetary laws, the president may return a law to the Parliament for reconsideration. If Parliament reenacts the law, it is binding, although the president may then apply to the Constitutional Court for a reversal of the law. Constitutional amendments pass with a 60% vote, but require a popular referendum unless passed with a two-thirds majority; the president may also submit amendments passed with a two-thirds majority to a popular referendum.

The judiciary is declared to be independent, but the need for judicial reform and confirmation of its independence are subjects of open debate. Internationally recognized human rights, including freedom of thought, expression, assembly, and travel, are officially enshrined in the Constitution but have at times been narrowly interpreted, can be limited in times of emergency and cannot be used to violate what the Constitution and the courts consider the integrity of the state or to impose a system of government based on religion, ethnicity, or the domination of one social class. The Constitution prohibits torture or ill treatment; the current government has focused on ensuring that practice matches principle. Labor rights, including the right to strike, are recognized in the Constitution but can be restricted.

The 1982 Constitution provides for a system of State Security Courts to deal with offenses against the integrity of the state. The high court system includes a Constitutional Court responsible for judicial review of legislation, a Court of Cassation (or Supreme Court of Appeals), a Council of State serving as the high administrative and appeals court, a Court of Accounts, and a Military Court of Appeals. The High Council of Judges and Prosecutors, appointed by the president, supervises the judiciary.

In the November 2002 election of Turkey's 58th government, the Justice and Development Party (AK) captured 34.3% of the total votes, making Abdullah Gul Prime Minister, followed by the Republican People's Party (CHP) with 19.39% of the vote, led by Deniz Baykal. A special General Election was held again in the province of Siirt in March 2003, resulting in the election of AK's chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to a seat in parliament, allowing him to become prime minister. AK and CHP were the only parties to surpass the 10% threshold required to hold seats in parliament. The elections resulted in 363 of the 550 seats going to AK, 178 seats to CHP, and 9 as independent. Due to a reshuffle in party affiliation, AK holds 367 seats, CHP holds 175 seats, five are independent, and three joined the True Path Party (DYP). In March 2004 nationwide local elections, AKP won 57 of 81 provincial capital municipalities and, with 41.8% of the votes for provincial council seats, consolidated its hold on power.
[[File:Turkish president Abdullah Gul.jpg|thumb|240px|Former Turkish president [[Abdullah Gül]].]]
The Turkish Grand National Assembly was to have elected in May 2007 a new president to succeed President Sezer on June 16. Opposition parties led a challenge to the electoral procedures, which resulted in a series of proposed constitutional amendments and the call for early general elections on July 22. The new parliament, which was sworn in on July 28, includes 341 AKP members, 98 CHP members, 70 Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) members, 20 Democratic Society Party (DTP) members, 13 Democratic Left Party (DSP) members, and 7 independents. Following the election, Sezer reappointed Erdoğan as PM and then-Foreign Minister Gul declared his presidential candidacy. The parliament elected Gul in the third round of voting on August 28. President Gul approved Erdoğan's proposed cabinet on August 30, and the new government received a vote of confidence on September 5.

Since 2014 [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] is the president of Turkey.

Human-right abuses, especially against [[Christians]] remains a problem
<ref>http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78844.htm</ref> and the frequency of violent attacks on Christian ministers and priests is still high
<ref>http://washingtontimes.com/upi/20070418-030533-9552</ref>
.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5139408.stm</ref>
{{Clear}}
===Principal Government Officials===
*President of the Republic—Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
*Prime Minister—Binali Yıldırım
*Minister of Foreign Affairs—Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu
*Ambassador to the United States—
*Ambassador to the United Nations—

===Foreign Relations===
[[File:Turkish girls laughing in calimanesti.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Turkish dancers in a festival in [[Romania]].]]
Turkey's primary political, economic, and security ties are with the West, although some voices call for a more "Eurasian" orientation.

Turkey entered NATO in 1952 and serves as the organization's vital eastern anchor, controlling the straits leading from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and sharing a border with Syria, Iraq, and Iran. A NATO headquarters is located in Izmir. Besides its relationships with NATO and the EU, Turkey is a member of the OECD, the Council of Europe, and OSCE. Turkey also is a member of the UN and the Islamic Conference Organization (OIC). In December 1999, Turkey became a candidate for EU membership. On December 17, 2004, the EU decided to begin formal accession negotiations with Turkey in October 2005.

Turkey and the EU formed a customs union beginning January 1, 1996. The agreement covers industrial and processed agricultural goods. Turkey is harmonizing its laws and regulations with EU standards. Turkey adopted the EU's Common External Tariff regime, effectively lowering Turkey's tariffs for third countries, including the United States.

On October 3, 2005, Turkey and the EU reached agreement for Turkey to begin negotiations on accession to the European Union. Turkey and EU officials have begun the process of screening Turkey's laws and policies in order to begin negotiating the individual chapters required for ultimate EU accession. However, this admission request has not been without criticism,<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2420697.stm</ref> including:
*Serious human rights violations<ref>http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070419-0809-italy-turkey-eu.html</ref>
*Refusal to admit genocide of [[Armenia]]<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6043730.stm</ref>
*Refusal to recognize [[Cyprus]]<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6153186.stm</ref>
*Only 3% of Turkey is in [[Europe]]
*Threat of increasing [[Islamic]] fundamentalism<ref>http://www.freemuslims.org/news/article.php?article=1761</ref>

Turkey opened and provisionally closed in 2006 one EU negotiating chapter on science and technology. Another chapter on statistics was opened in February 2007, and two more are expected to be opened by July 1, 2007. Eight chapters, mostly related to trade, were suspended by the European Council in December 2006 after Turkey declined to open its ports and airports to Cypriot vessels—a commitment Turkey made as part of the Ankara Protocol and its EU Customs Union membership.

Turkey is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It has signed free trade agreements with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Israel, and many other countries. In 1992 Turkey and 10 other regional nations formed the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Council to expand regional trade and economic cooperation. Turkey chaired BSEC in 2007 and hosted in Istanbul the 15th BSEC Summit in June 2007.

===Relations with the United States===
U.S.-Turkish friendship dates to the late 18th century and was officially sealed by a treaty in 1830. The present close relationship began with the agreement of July 12, 1947, which implemented the Truman Doctrine. As part of the cooperative effort to further Turkish economic and military self-reliance, the United States has loaned and granted Turkey more than $12.5 billion in economic aid and more than $14 billion in military assistance.

U.S.-Turkish relations focus on areas such as strategic energy cooperation, trade and investment, security ties, regional stability, the global war on terrorism, and human rights progress. Relations were strained when Turkey refused in March 2003 to allow U.S. troops to deploy through its territory to Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom, but regained momentum steadily thereafter and mutual interests remain strong across a wide spectrum of issues. On July 5, 2006, Secretary Rice and then-Foreign Minister Gul signed a Shared Vision Statement to highlight the common values and goals between our two countries and to lay out a framework for increased strategic dialogue.

The U.S. and Turkey have had a Joint Economic Commission and a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, which last met in Washington in April 2007, for several years. In 2002, the two countries indicated their joint intent to upgrade bilateral economic relations by launching an Economic Partnership Commission, which last convened in Ankara in February 2007. In 2006, Turkish exports to the U.S. totaled about $5.4 billion, and U.S. exports to Turkey totaled $5.7 billion.

[[Condoleezza Rice]] ones described Turkey as “a vital and strategic partner of the United States”. But since the tenure of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan these times are over.<ref>http://www.nationalreview.com/article/348422/erdo%C4%9Fan%E2%80%99s-agenda</ref> For example, he equated [[Zionism]] with [[Fascism]], [[John Kerry]] criticized him for this statement.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/01/official-kerry-to-rap-turkey-pm-for-remark/</ref>

==Economy==
[[Image:Framed medallion Turkey.jpg|300px|thumb|Framed medallion.]]
Turkey is a large, middle-income country with relatively few natural resources. Its economy is currently in transition from a high degree of reliance on agriculture and heavy industrial economy to a more diversified economy with an increasingly large and globalized services sector. Coming out of a tradition of a state-directed economy that was relatively closed to the outside world, Prime Minister and then President Turgut Ozal began to open up the economy in the 1980s, leading to the signing of a Customs Union with the European Union in 1995. In the 1990s, Turkey's economy suffered from a series of coalition governments with weak economic policies, leading to high-inflation boom-and-bust cycles that culminated in a severe banking and economic crisis in 2001 and a deep economic downturn (GNP fell 9.5% in 2001) and increase in unemployment.

Turkey's economy has recovered strongly from the 2001 thanks to good monetary and fiscal policies and structural economic reforms made with the support of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The independence of the Central Bank has been firmly established, a floating exchange rate system has been put in place, and the government's overall budget deficit has been substantially reduced. In addition, there have been substantial reforms in the financial, energy, and telecommunications sectors that have included the privatization of several large state-owned institutions.

Turkey's economy grew an average of 7.5% per year from 2002 through 2006—one of the highest sustained rates of growth in the world. It is expected to grow about 6.1% in 2007. Inflation and interest rates have fallen significantly, the currency has stabilized, government debt has declined to more supportable levels, and business and consumer confidence have returned. At the same time, booming economic growth has contributed to a growing current account deficit. Though Turkey's vulnerabilities have been greatly reduced, the economy could still face problems in the event there is a sudden change in investor sentiment that leads to a sharp fall in the exchange rate. Continued implementation of reforms, including tight fiscal policy, is essential to sustain growth and stability.

After years of low levels of foreign direct investment (FDI), in 2006, Turkey succeeded in attracting $18.9 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) and is expected to attract a similar level in 2007. A series of large privatizations, the stability fostered by the start of Turkey's EU accession negotiations, strong and stable growth, and structural changes in the banking, retail, and telecommunications sectors have all contributed to the rise in foreign investment. Turkey has taken steps to improve its investment climate through administrative streamlining, an end to foreign investment screening, and strengthened intellectual property legislation. However, a number of disputes involving foreign investors in Turkey and certain policies, such as high taxation and continuing gaps in the intellectual property regime, inhibit investment. Turkey has a number of bilateral investment and tax treaties, including with the United States, which guarantee free repatriation of capital in convertible currencies and eliminate double taxation.
*GDP: (2004) $300.6 billion; (2005) $361.5 billion; (2006) $390.4 billion.
*Annual real GDP growth rate: (2004) (+) 8.9%; (2005) 7.4%; (2006) 6.0%.
*GDP per capita: (2004) $4,187; (2005) $5,016; (2006) $5,349.
*Annual inflation rate /CPI: (2003) 18.4%; (2004) 9.3%; (2005) 7.7%; (2006) 9.7%.
*Natural resources: Coal, chromium, mercury, copper, boron, oil, gold.
*Agriculture (10.8% of GNP): Major cash crops—cotton, sugar beets, hazelnuts, wheat, barley, and tobacco. Provides 26% of jobs and 4% of exports.
*Industry (25.4% of GNP): Major growth sector, types—automotive, electronics, food processing, textiles, basic metals, chemicals, and petrochemicals. Provides 20% of jobs.
*Trade: Exports (merchandise)--(2005) $73.1 billion; (2006) $83.5 billion: textiles and apparel, industrial machinery, iron and steel, electronics, petroleum products, and motor vehicles. Imports (merchandise)--(2005) $116 billion; (2006) 135.5 billion: petroleum, machinery, motor vehicles, electronics, iron and steel, plastics precious metals. Major partners—Germany, U.S., Italy, France, Russia, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, U.K.

====European Union accession====
Turkey's principal ongoing economic challenge is providing for the needs of a fast-growing, young population. Raising living standards to those prevalent in Europe will require high rates of GDP growth sustained over many years. This will entail continued structural reforms that encourage both domestic and foreign investment. Principal areas for reform identified by international financial intuitions include increasing flexibility in the labor market, making the educational sector more responsive to the needs of the economy and ensuring faster and more predictable operation of the judicial system. As an aspirant to membership in the European Union, Turkey aims to adopt the EU's basic system of national law and regulation (the acquis communautaire) by 2014. While implementing some elements of the acquis will be costly and difficult (for example in the areas of environmental protection and agriculture), its adoption will make a significant contribution to modernizing the economy.

====Energy====
[[File:Electric Energy Grid Turkey.jpg|thumb|360px|Electric Energy Grid.]]
Installed electricity generation capacity in Turkey reached 35,600 megawatts (MW) as of 2004. Fossil fuels account for 71% of the total installed capacity and hydro, geothermal, and wind account for the remaining 28%. The growth in electricity generation has remained below electricity demand until recently, which has made Turkey a net importer of electricity since 1997. The growth of energy demand slowed somewhat as a result of the 2001 economic crisis, but has picked up again. Turkish authorities expect a significant electricity shortfall unless new facilities become operational. The Government of Turkey took some important steps in 2001 to liberalize its energy sector, including passage of the Electricity Market Law and establishment of the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA). However, the government has moved slowly to follow through on plans to liberalize and privatize the electricity and natural gas sectors. In 2004, the High Planning Council approved the Electricity Sector Reform Strategy to renew the reform process.

Oil provides about 43% of Turkey's total energy requirements; around 90% is imported. Domestic production is mostly from small fields in the southeast. New exploration is taking place in the eastern Black Sea. In 2004, the Parliament approved a petroleum market reform bill that liberalized consumer prices and would lead to the privatization of the state refining company TUPRAS. TUPRAS was privatized in 2005, but this has been held up by court cases still in process. Turkey has a refining capacity of 802,275 barrels per day (b/d).

Turkey acts as an important link in the East-West Southern Energy Corridor bringing Caspian, Central Asian, and Middle Eastern energy to Europe and world markets. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which came online in July 2006, delivers 1 million b/d of petroleum, and in 2007, the South Caucasus Pipeline (from Shah Deniz) is expected to bring natural gas from Azerbaijan to Turkey. Turkey is building an interconnector pipeline to Greece, an important step in bringing Caspian natural gas to Europe via Turkey.

====Telecommunications====
[[File:Turk map.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Turkey map.]]
Parliament enacted legislation separating telecommunications policy and regulatory functions in January 2000, by establishing an independent regulatory body, the Telecommunication Authority. The Authority is responsible for issuing licenses, supervising operators, and taking necessary technical measures against violations of the rules. Most regulatory functions of the Transport Ministry were transferred to the Authority, and the regulator is slowly gaining competence and independence. The long-expected privatization of the state-owned telecommunications company was accomplished by the sale of 55% of Turk Telekom to the Saudi-owned Oger Group in November 2005. With liberalization and growth in the economy, there is growing competition for Internet provision, but Turk Telekom remains the sole provider of ADSL wide band Internet.

====Environment====
[[File:TurkishForest.jpg|thumb|left|280px|Turkish forest.]]
With the establishment of the Environment Ministry in 1991, Turkey began to make significant progress addressing its most pressing environmental problems. The most dramatic improvements were significant reductions of air pollution in Istanbul and Ankara. However, progress has been slow on the remaining—and serious—environmental challenges facing Turkey.

In 2003, the Ministry of Environment was merged with the Forestry Ministry. With its goal to join the EU, Turkey has made commendable progress in updating and modernizing its environmental legislation. However, environmental concerns are not fully integrated into public decision-making and enforcement can be weak. Turkey faces a backlog of environmental problems, requiring enormous outlays for infrastructure. The most pressing needs are for water treatment plants, wastewater treatment facilities, solid waste management, and conservation of biodiversity. The discovery of a number of chemical waste sites in 2006 has highlighted weakness in environmental law and oversight.
{{Clear}}

====Transportation====
The Turkish Government gives a special priority to major infrastructure projects, especially in the transport sector. The government is in the process of building new airports and highways, thanks to an increased public investment budget. The government will realize many of these projects by utilizing the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.

==History==
[[Image:St. Sophie Turkey.jpg|right|280px|thumb|Hagia Sofia, Istanbul]]
[[Mustafa Kemal]], celebrated by the Turkish State as a Turkish [[World War I]] hero and later known as "Atatürk" or "father of the Turks," led the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 after the collapse of the 600-year-old [[Ottoman Empire]] and a three-year war of independence. The empire, which at its peak controlled vast stretches of northern Africa, southeastern Europe, and western Asia, had failed to keep pace with European social and technological developments. The rise of national consciousness impelled several national groups within the Empire to seek independence as nation-states, leading to the empire's fragmentation. This process culminated in the disastrous Ottoman participation in World War I as a German ally. Defeated, shorn of much of its former territory, and partly occupied by forces of the victorious European states, the Ottoman structure was repudiated by Turkish nationalists brought together under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal. The nationalists expelled invading Greek, Russian, French and Italian forces from Anatolia in a bitter war. After the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey the temporal and religious ruling institutions of the old empire (the sultanate and caliphate) were abolished.
[[File:Muslims in Europe map.jpg|thumb|320px|left|Muslims in Europe by country.]]
The leaders of the new republic concentrated on consolidating their power and modernizing and Westernizing what had been the empire's core—Asian Anatolia and a part of European Thrace. Social, political, linguistic, and economic reforms and attitudes decreed by Atatürk from 1924-1934 continue to be referred to as the ideological base of modern Turkey. In the post-Atatürk era, and especially after the military coup of 1960, this ideology came to be known as "Kemalism" and his reforms began to be referred to as "revolutions." Kemalism comprises a Turkish form of secularism, strong nationalism, statism, and to a degree a western orientation. The continued validity and applicability of Kemalism are the subject of lively debate in Turkey's political life. The current ruling AK Party comes from a tradition that challenges many of the Kemalist precepts and is driven in its reform efforts by a desire to achieve EU accession.

Turkey entered [[World War II]] on the Allied side until shortly before the war ended, becoming a charter member of the [[United Nations]]. Difficulties faced by [[Greece]] after World War II in quelling a communist rebellion and demands by the [[Soviet Union]] for military bases in the Turkish Straits prompted the United States to declare the [[Truman Doctrine]] in 1947. The doctrine enunciated American intentions to guarantee the security of Turkey and Greece and resulted in large scale U.S. military and economic aid under the [[Marshall Plan]]. After participating with United Nations forces in the [[Korean War|Korean conflict]], Turkey in 1952 joined the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO). Turkey is currently a [[European Union]] candidate, although this has been clouded by their refusal to acknowledge the [[Armenian genocide]].

== See also ==
[[File:Blue mosque Istanbul Turkey.jpg|thumb|The Blue Mosque, Istanbul.]]
*[[Mustafa Kemal Ataturk|Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]]
*[[Battle of Adrianople]]
*[[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]]
*[[Parthia]]
*[[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]]
*[[Oriental art]]
{{Clear}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.nuktravel.com/turkey.html WELCOME TO TURKEY]
*[http://bertschlossberg.blogspot.com/ A Turkish Delight: they think so in Israel also!]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{| style="width: 100%; background:transparent; border: 2px solid #000099;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1"
!colspan=2 style="width: 100%; text-align: center; background-color: #000088; color: white; "|'''Copyright Details'''
|-
!style="background-color: #000088; color:white;"|License:
|style=" background-color: none;"| This work is in the [[Public Domain]] in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the U.S. Code
|-
!style=" background-color: #000088; color:white;"|Source:
|style="background-color: none;border-top: 2px solid black"| File available from the {{{1|[[United States Federal Government]] [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3432.htm]}}}.
|}

{{Asian Countries}}

[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:NATO Members]]
[[Category:Turkey]]
[[Category:Muslim-Majority Countries]]

Turkiye

2016-09-21T07:01:21Z

SteveV: Correction

For the animal with the same name see [[Turkey (bird)]]

{{Country
|name =''Türkiye Cumhuriyeti''
|map =Turkey rel 2006.jpg
|flag =Flag of Turkey.png
|arms =Arms of Turkey.png
|capital =Ankara
|capital-raw =
|government =Parliamentary republic
|government-raw =
|language =Turkish
|king =
|queen =
|monarch-raw =
|president =Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
|president-raw =
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =Binali Yıldırım
|pm-raw =
|area =302,535 sq mi
|pop =78,785,000
|pop-basis =2011
|gdp =$508 billion
|gdp-year =2008
|gdp-pc =$6,670
|currency =Turkish lira
|idd =
|tld =
}}
The '''Republic of Turkey''' is a country occupying the Anatolian Peninsula of western [[Asia]], as well as a small section of eastern [[Europe]] at the Bosporus Strait.

==People==
[[File:Children in traditional dress Istanbul Turkey.jpg|thumb|left|Children in traditional dress, Istanbul.]]
Modern Turkey encompasses bustling cosmopolitan centers, pastoral farming villages, barren wastelands, peaceful Aegean coastlines, and steep mountain regions. More than half of Turkey's population lives in urban areas that juxtapose Western lifestyles with more traditional ways of life.

The Turkish state has been officially [[secular]] since 1924. Approximately 99% of the population is [[Muslim]]. Most Turkish Muslims follow the [[Sunni]] traditions of Islam, although a significant number follow Alevi and [[Shiite]] traditions. Questions regarding role of religion in society and government, the role of linguistic and ethnic identity, and the public's expectation to live in security dominate public discourse. Turkish citizens who assert a [[Kurds|Kurdish]] identity constitute an ethnic and linguistic group that is estimated at up to 12 million in number.
*Population (2006): 72.9 million.
*Annual population growth rate (2004 est.): 1.33%.
*Ethnic groups: Turkish, Kurdish, other.
*Religions: Muslim 99%, Christian, Bahai, and Jewish.
*Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, Zaza, Arabic, Armenian, Greek.
*Education: Years compulsory—8. Attendance—97.6%. Literacy—86.5%.
*Health: Infant mortality rate—39.4/1,000. Life expectancy—68.5 yrs.
*Work force (23 million): Agriculture—35.6%; industry—17.5%; services—47.2%.

[[File:Ankara panorama Turkey.jpg|thumb|center|700px|The capital Ankara.]]

==Government and Political Conditions==
[[File:Turkish Parliament in Ankara.jpg|thumb|300px|The Parliament in Ankara.]]
The 1982 Constitution, drafted by the military in the wake of a 1980 military coup, proclaims Turkey's system of government as democratic, secular, and parliamentary. The presidency's powers are not precisely defined in practice, and the president's influence depends on his personality and political weight. The president and the Council of Ministers led by the prime minister share executive powers. The president, who has broad powers of appointment and supervision, is chosen by Parliament for a term of 7 years and cannot be reelected. A constitutional amendment recommending the direct election by the people of the president to a 5-year term, with the possibility of serving a second 5-year term, may be submitted to a popular referendum in 2007. The prime minister administers the government. The prime minister and the Council of Ministers are responsible to Parliament.

The 550-member Parliament carries out legislative functions. Election is by proportional representation. To participate in the distribution of seats, a party must obtain at least 10% of the votes cast at the national level as well as a percentage of votes in the contested district according to a complex formula. The president enacts laws passed by Parliament within 15 days. With the exception of budgetary laws, the president may return a law to the Parliament for reconsideration. If Parliament reenacts the law, it is binding, although the president may then apply to the Constitutional Court for a reversal of the law. Constitutional amendments pass with a 60% vote, but require a popular referendum unless passed with a two-thirds majority; the president may also submit amendments passed with a two-thirds majority to a popular referendum.

The judiciary is declared to be independent, but the need for judicial reform and confirmation of its independence are subjects of open debate. Internationally recognized human rights, including freedom of thought, expression, assembly, and travel, are officially enshrined in the Constitution but have at times been narrowly interpreted, can be limited in times of emergency and cannot be used to violate what the Constitution and the courts consider the integrity of the state or to impose a system of government based on religion, ethnicity, or the domination of one social class. The Constitution prohibits torture or ill treatment; the current government has focused on ensuring that practice matches principle. Labor rights, including the right to strike, are recognized in the Constitution but can be restricted.

The 1982 Constitution provides for a system of State Security Courts to deal with offenses against the integrity of the state. The high court system includes a Constitutional Court responsible for judicial review of legislation, a Court of Cassation (or Supreme Court of Appeals), a Council of State serving as the high administrative and appeals court, a Court of Accounts, and a Military Court of Appeals. The High Council of Judges and Prosecutors, appointed by the president, supervises the judiciary.

In the November 2002 election of Turkey's 58th government, the Justice and Development Party (AK) captured 34.3% of the total votes, making Abdullah Gul Prime Minister, followed by the Republican People's Party (CHP) with 19.39% of the vote, led by Deniz Baykal. A special General Election was held again in the province of Siirt in March 2003, resulting in the election of AK's chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to a seat in parliament, allowing him to become prime minister. AK and CHP were the only parties to surpass the 10% threshold required to hold seats in parliament. The elections resulted in 363 of the 550 seats going to AK, 178 seats to CHP, and 9 as independent. Due to a reshuffle in party affiliation, AK holds 367 seats, CHP holds 175 seats, five are independent, and three joined the True Path Party (DYP). In March 2004 nationwide local elections, AKP won 57 of 81 provincial capital municipalities and, with 41.8% of the votes for provincial council seats, consolidated its hold on power.
[[File:Turkish president Abdullah Gul.jpg|thumb|240px|Former Turkish president [[Abdullah Gül]].]]
The Turkish Grand National Assembly was to have elected in May 2007 a new president to succeed President Sezer on June 16. Opposition parties led a challenge to the electoral procedures, which resulted in a series of proposed constitutional amendments and the call for early general elections on July 22. The new parliament, which was sworn in on July 28, includes 341 AKP members, 98 CHP members, 70 Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) members, 20 Democratic Society Party (DTP) members, 13 Democratic Left Party (DSP) members, and 7 independents. Following the election, Sezer reappointed Erdoğan as PM and then-Foreign Minister Gul declared his presidential candidacy. The parliament elected Gul in the third round of voting on August 28. President Gul approved Erdoğan's proposed cabinet on August 30, and the new government received a vote of confidence on September 5.

Since 2014 [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] is the president of Turkey.

Human-right abuses, especially against [[Christians]] remains a problem
<ref>http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78844.htm</ref> and the frequency of violent attacks on Christian ministers and priests is still high
<ref>http://washingtontimes.com/upi/20070418-030533-9552</ref>
.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5139408.stm</ref>
{{Clear}}
===Principal Government Officials===
*President of the Republic—Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
*Prime Minister—Ahmet Davutoğlu
*Minister of Foreign Affairs—Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu
*Ambassador to the United States—
*Ambassador to the United Nations—

===Foreign Relations===
[[File:Turkish girls laughing in calimanesti.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Turkish dancers in a festival in [[Romania]].]]
Turkey's primary political, economic, and security ties are with the West, although some voices call for a more "Eurasian" orientation.

Turkey entered NATO in 1952 and serves as the organization's vital eastern anchor, controlling the straits leading from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and sharing a border with Syria, Iraq, and Iran. A NATO headquarters is located in Izmir. Besides its relationships with NATO and the EU, Turkey is a member of the OECD, the Council of Europe, and OSCE. Turkey also is a member of the UN and the Islamic Conference Organization (OIC). In December 1999, Turkey became a candidate for EU membership. On December 17, 2004, the EU decided to begin formal accession negotiations with Turkey in October 2005.

Turkey and the EU formed a customs union beginning January 1, 1996. The agreement covers industrial and processed agricultural goods. Turkey is harmonizing its laws and regulations with EU standards. Turkey adopted the EU's Common External Tariff regime, effectively lowering Turkey's tariffs for third countries, including the United States.

On October 3, 2005, Turkey and the EU reached agreement for Turkey to begin negotiations on accession to the European Union. Turkey and EU officials have begun the process of screening Turkey's laws and policies in order to begin negotiating the individual chapters required for ultimate EU accession. However, this admission request has not been without criticism,<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2420697.stm</ref> including:
*Serious human rights violations<ref>http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070419-0809-italy-turkey-eu.html</ref>
*Refusal to admit genocide of [[Armenia]]<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6043730.stm</ref>
*Refusal to recognize [[Cyprus]]<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6153186.stm</ref>
*Only 3% of Turkey is in [[Europe]]
*Threat of increasing [[Islamic]] fundamentalism<ref>http://www.freemuslims.org/news/article.php?article=1761</ref>

Turkey opened and provisionally closed in 2006 one EU negotiating chapter on science and technology. Another chapter on statistics was opened in February 2007, and two more are expected to be opened by July 1, 2007. Eight chapters, mostly related to trade, were suspended by the European Council in December 2006 after Turkey declined to open its ports and airports to Cypriot vessels—a commitment Turkey made as part of the Ankara Protocol and its EU Customs Union membership.

Turkey is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It has signed free trade agreements with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Israel, and many other countries. In 1992 Turkey and 10 other regional nations formed the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Council to expand regional trade and economic cooperation. Turkey chaired BSEC in 2007 and hosted in Istanbul the 15th BSEC Summit in June 2007.

===Relations with the United States===
U.S.-Turkish friendship dates to the late 18th century and was officially sealed by a treaty in 1830. The present close relationship began with the agreement of July 12, 1947, which implemented the Truman Doctrine. As part of the cooperative effort to further Turkish economic and military self-reliance, the United States has loaned and granted Turkey more than $12.5 billion in economic aid and more than $14 billion in military assistance.

U.S.-Turkish relations focus on areas such as strategic energy cooperation, trade and investment, security ties, regional stability, the global war on terrorism, and human rights progress. Relations were strained when Turkey refused in March 2003 to allow U.S. troops to deploy through its territory to Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom, but regained momentum steadily thereafter and mutual interests remain strong across a wide spectrum of issues. On July 5, 2006, Secretary Rice and then-Foreign Minister Gul signed a Shared Vision Statement to highlight the common values and goals between our two countries and to lay out a framework for increased strategic dialogue.

The U.S. and Turkey have had a Joint Economic Commission and a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, which last met in Washington in April 2007, for several years. In 2002, the two countries indicated their joint intent to upgrade bilateral economic relations by launching an Economic Partnership Commission, which last convened in Ankara in February 2007. In 2006, Turkish exports to the U.S. totaled about $5.4 billion, and U.S. exports to Turkey totaled $5.7 billion.

[[Condoleezza Rice]] ones described Turkey as “a vital and strategic partner of the United States”. But since the tenure of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan these times are over.<ref>http://www.nationalreview.com/article/348422/erdo%C4%9Fan%E2%80%99s-agenda</ref> For example, he equated [[Zionism]] with [[Fascism]], [[John Kerry]] criticized him for this statement.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/01/official-kerry-to-rap-turkey-pm-for-remark/</ref>

==Economy==
[[Image:Framed medallion Turkey.jpg|300px|thumb|Framed medallion.]]
Turkey is a large, middle-income country with relatively few natural resources. Its economy is currently in transition from a high degree of reliance on agriculture and heavy industrial economy to a more diversified economy with an increasingly large and globalized services sector. Coming out of a tradition of a state-directed economy that was relatively closed to the outside world, Prime Minister and then President Turgut Ozal began to open up the economy in the 1980s, leading to the signing of a Customs Union with the European Union in 1995. In the 1990s, Turkey's economy suffered from a series of coalition governments with weak economic policies, leading to high-inflation boom-and-bust cycles that culminated in a severe banking and economic crisis in 2001 and a deep economic downturn (GNP fell 9.5% in 2001) and increase in unemployment.

Turkey's economy has recovered strongly from the 2001 thanks to good monetary and fiscal policies and structural economic reforms made with the support of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The independence of the Central Bank has been firmly established, a floating exchange rate system has been put in place, and the government's overall budget deficit has been substantially reduced. In addition, there have been substantial reforms in the financial, energy, and telecommunications sectors that have included the privatization of several large state-owned institutions.

Turkey's economy grew an average of 7.5% per year from 2002 through 2006—one of the highest sustained rates of growth in the world. It is expected to grow about 6.1% in 2007. Inflation and interest rates have fallen significantly, the currency has stabilized, government debt has declined to more supportable levels, and business and consumer confidence have returned. At the same time, booming economic growth has contributed to a growing current account deficit. Though Turkey's vulnerabilities have been greatly reduced, the economy could still face problems in the event there is a sudden change in investor sentiment that leads to a sharp fall in the exchange rate. Continued implementation of reforms, including tight fiscal policy, is essential to sustain growth and stability.

After years of low levels of foreign direct investment (FDI), in 2006, Turkey succeeded in attracting $18.9 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) and is expected to attract a similar level in 2007. A series of large privatizations, the stability fostered by the start of Turkey's EU accession negotiations, strong and stable growth, and structural changes in the banking, retail, and telecommunications sectors have all contributed to the rise in foreign investment. Turkey has taken steps to improve its investment climate through administrative streamlining, an end to foreign investment screening, and strengthened intellectual property legislation. However, a number of disputes involving foreign investors in Turkey and certain policies, such as high taxation and continuing gaps in the intellectual property regime, inhibit investment. Turkey has a number of bilateral investment and tax treaties, including with the United States, which guarantee free repatriation of capital in convertible currencies and eliminate double taxation.
*GDP: (2004) $300.6 billion; (2005) $361.5 billion; (2006) $390.4 billion.
*Annual real GDP growth rate: (2004) (+) 8.9%; (2005) 7.4%; (2006) 6.0%.
*GDP per capita: (2004) $4,187; (2005) $5,016; (2006) $5,349.
*Annual inflation rate /CPI: (2003) 18.4%; (2004) 9.3%; (2005) 7.7%; (2006) 9.7%.
*Natural resources: Coal, chromium, mercury, copper, boron, oil, gold.
*Agriculture (10.8% of GNP): Major cash crops—cotton, sugar beets, hazelnuts, wheat, barley, and tobacco. Provides 26% of jobs and 4% of exports.
*Industry (25.4% of GNP): Major growth sector, types—automotive, electronics, food processing, textiles, basic metals, chemicals, and petrochemicals. Provides 20% of jobs.
*Trade: Exports (merchandise)--(2005) $73.1 billion; (2006) $83.5 billion: textiles and apparel, industrial machinery, iron and steel, electronics, petroleum products, and motor vehicles. Imports (merchandise)--(2005) $116 billion; (2006) 135.5 billion: petroleum, machinery, motor vehicles, electronics, iron and steel, plastics precious metals. Major partners—Germany, U.S., Italy, France, Russia, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, U.K.

====European Union accession====
Turkey's principal ongoing economic challenge is providing for the needs of a fast-growing, young population. Raising living standards to those prevalent in Europe will require high rates of GDP growth sustained over many years. This will entail continued structural reforms that encourage both domestic and foreign investment. Principal areas for reform identified by international financial intuitions include increasing flexibility in the labor market, making the educational sector more responsive to the needs of the economy and ensuring faster and more predictable operation of the judicial system. As an aspirant to membership in the European Union, Turkey aims to adopt the EU's basic system of national law and regulation (the acquis communautaire) by 2014. While implementing some elements of the acquis will be costly and difficult (for example in the areas of environmental protection and agriculture), its adoption will make a significant contribution to modernizing the economy.

====Energy====
[[File:Electric Energy Grid Turkey.jpg|thumb|360px|Electric Energy Grid.]]
Installed electricity generation capacity in Turkey reached 35,600 megawatts (MW) as of 2004. Fossil fuels account for 71% of the total installed capacity and hydro, geothermal, and wind account for the remaining 28%. The growth in electricity generation has remained below electricity demand until recently, which has made Turkey a net importer of electricity since 1997. The growth of energy demand slowed somewhat as a result of the 2001 economic crisis, but has picked up again. Turkish authorities expect a significant electricity shortfall unless new facilities become operational. The Government of Turkey took some important steps in 2001 to liberalize its energy sector, including passage of the Electricity Market Law and establishment of the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA). However, the government has moved slowly to follow through on plans to liberalize and privatize the electricity and natural gas sectors. In 2004, the High Planning Council approved the Electricity Sector Reform Strategy to renew the reform process.

Oil provides about 43% of Turkey's total energy requirements; around 90% is imported. Domestic production is mostly from small fields in the southeast. New exploration is taking place in the eastern Black Sea. In 2004, the Parliament approved a petroleum market reform bill that liberalized consumer prices and would lead to the privatization of the state refining company TUPRAS. TUPRAS was privatized in 2005, but this has been held up by court cases still in process. Turkey has a refining capacity of 802,275 barrels per day (b/d).

Turkey acts as an important link in the East-West Southern Energy Corridor bringing Caspian, Central Asian, and Middle Eastern energy to Europe and world markets. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which came online in July 2006, delivers 1 million b/d of petroleum, and in 2007, the South Caucasus Pipeline (from Shah Deniz) is expected to bring natural gas from Azerbaijan to Turkey. Turkey is building an interconnector pipeline to Greece, an important step in bringing Caspian natural gas to Europe via Turkey.

====Telecommunications====
[[File:Turk map.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Turkey map.]]
Parliament enacted legislation separating telecommunications policy and regulatory functions in January 2000, by establishing an independent regulatory body, the Telecommunication Authority. The Authority is responsible for issuing licenses, supervising operators, and taking necessary technical measures against violations of the rules. Most regulatory functions of the Transport Ministry were transferred to the Authority, and the regulator is slowly gaining competence and independence. The long-expected privatization of the state-owned telecommunications company was accomplished by the sale of 55% of Turk Telekom to the Saudi-owned Oger Group in November 2005. With liberalization and growth in the economy, there is growing competition for Internet provision, but Turk Telekom remains the sole provider of ADSL wide band Internet.

====Environment====
[[File:TurkishForest.jpg|thumb|left|280px|Turkish forest.]]
With the establishment of the Environment Ministry in 1991, Turkey began to make significant progress addressing its most pressing environmental problems. The most dramatic improvements were significant reductions of air pollution in Istanbul and Ankara. However, progress has been slow on the remaining—and serious—environmental challenges facing Turkey.

In 2003, the Ministry of Environment was merged with the Forestry Ministry. With its goal to join the EU, Turkey has made commendable progress in updating and modernizing its environmental legislation. However, environmental concerns are not fully integrated into public decision-making and enforcement can be weak. Turkey faces a backlog of environmental problems, requiring enormous outlays for infrastructure. The most pressing needs are for water treatment plants, wastewater treatment facilities, solid waste management, and conservation of biodiversity. The discovery of a number of chemical waste sites in 2006 has highlighted weakness in environmental law and oversight.
{{Clear}}

====Transportation====
The Turkish Government gives a special priority to major infrastructure projects, especially in the transport sector. The government is in the process of building new airports and highways, thanks to an increased public investment budget. The government will realize many of these projects by utilizing the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.

==History==
[[Image:St. Sophie Turkey.jpg|right|280px|thumb|Hagia Sofia, Istanbul]]
[[Mustafa Kemal]], celebrated by the Turkish State as a Turkish [[World War I]] hero and later known as "Atatürk" or "father of the Turks," led the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 after the collapse of the 600-year-old [[Ottoman Empire]] and a three-year war of independence. The empire, which at its peak controlled vast stretches of northern Africa, southeastern Europe, and western Asia, had failed to keep pace with European social and technological developments. The rise of national consciousness impelled several national groups within the Empire to seek independence as nation-states, leading to the empire's fragmentation. This process culminated in the disastrous Ottoman participation in World War I as a German ally. Defeated, shorn of much of its former territory, and partly occupied by forces of the victorious European states, the Ottoman structure was repudiated by Turkish nationalists brought together under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal. The nationalists expelled invading Greek, Russian, French and Italian forces from Anatolia in a bitter war. After the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey the temporal and religious ruling institutions of the old empire (the sultanate and caliphate) were abolished.
[[File:Muslims in Europe map.jpg|thumb|320px|left|Muslims in Europe by country.]]
The leaders of the new republic concentrated on consolidating their power and modernizing and Westernizing what had been the empire's core—Asian Anatolia and a part of European Thrace. Social, political, linguistic, and economic reforms and attitudes decreed by Atatürk from 1924-1934 continue to be referred to as the ideological base of modern Turkey. In the post-Atatürk era, and especially after the military coup of 1960, this ideology came to be known as "Kemalism" and his reforms began to be referred to as "revolutions." Kemalism comprises a Turkish form of secularism, strong nationalism, statism, and to a degree a western orientation. The continued validity and applicability of Kemalism are the subject of lively debate in Turkey's political life. The current ruling AK Party comes from a tradition that challenges many of the Kemalist precepts and is driven in its reform efforts by a desire to achieve EU accession.

Turkey entered [[World War II]] on the Allied side until shortly before the war ended, becoming a charter member of the [[United Nations]]. Difficulties faced by [[Greece]] after World War II in quelling a communist rebellion and demands by the [[Soviet Union]] for military bases in the Turkish Straits prompted the United States to declare the [[Truman Doctrine]] in 1947. The doctrine enunciated American intentions to guarantee the security of Turkey and Greece and resulted in large scale U.S. military and economic aid under the [[Marshall Plan]]. After participating with United Nations forces in the [[Korean War|Korean conflict]], Turkey in 1952 joined the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO). Turkey is currently a [[European Union]] candidate, although this has been clouded by their refusal to acknowledge the [[Armenian genocide]].

== See also ==
[[File:Blue mosque Istanbul Turkey.jpg|thumb|The Blue Mosque, Istanbul.]]
*[[Mustafa Kemal Ataturk|Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]]
*[[Battle of Adrianople]]
*[[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]]
*[[Parthia]]
*[[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]]
*[[Oriental art]]
{{Clear}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.nuktravel.com/turkey.html WELCOME TO TURKEY]
*[http://bertschlossberg.blogspot.com/ A Turkish Delight: they think so in Israel also!]

==References==
{{reflist}}

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|-
!style="background-color: #000088; color:white;"|License:
|style=" background-color: none;"| This work is in the [[Public Domain]] in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the U.S. Code
|-
!style=" background-color: #000088; color:white;"|Source:
|style="background-color: none;border-top: 2px solid black"| File available from the {{{1|[[United States Federal Government]] [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3432.htm]}}}.
|}

{{Asian Countries}}

[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:NATO Members]]
[[Category:Turkey]]
[[Category:Muslim-Majority Countries]]

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

2016-09-21T06:51:06Z

SteveV: Correction

[[Image:Kamal.jpg|right|240px]]
'''Mustafa Kemal Atatürk''' or '''Kamâl Atatürk''' (May 19, 1881 – November 10, 1938) was an Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, the founder of the Republic of [[Turkey]] and its first president. He was a successful division commander in the [[Battle of Gallipoli]]. When the [[Allies]] defeated the [[Ottoman Empire]] and arranged for its partition, he led a rebellion in the [[Turkish War of Independence]]. From Sep 9, 1923 to Nov 10, 1938, he was also leader of the Republican People's Party.

Kemal deposed the last sultan of the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1922 and became president of Turkey in 1923. It is estimated that over 99% of Turks are [[Muslim]] [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/tu.html#People], but Kemal established a [[secular state|secular rule]] based on a strong military. He abolished Islamic courts and gave women the right to vote and hold government positions. As a result of his efforts, Turkey is the only Muslim country to independently hold democratic elections.

[[Samuel Huntington]] defines "Kemalism" as a response to attempts at "reconciliation of Islam and modernity', or to modernise Islam without [[Westernization]].

<blockquote>
''The National Assembly which first convened on 23 April 1920 in Ankara was the first clue to the Turkish Republic. The successful management of the War of Independence by this assembly accelerated the founding of the new Turkish State. On 1 November 1922, the offices of the Sultan and caliph were severed from one other and the former was abolished. There was no longer any administrative ties with the Ottoman Empire. On 29 October 1923, Turkish Republic was formally proclaimed and Atatürk was unanimously elected as its first President. On 30 October 1923, the first government of the Republic was formed by İsmet İnönü. Turkish Republic started to grow on the foundations of the twin principles "Sovereignty, unconditionally belongs to the nation" and "peace at home, peace in the world,"'' [http://www.ataturk.com/content/view/24/43/ Biography of Atatürk]
</blockquote>

== See also ==
*[[Pervez Musharraf]]

== External links ==
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-4KKL7AYYA Ataturk - Republic of Turkiye]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjySoi2PR0w The Incredible Turk (1958)]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RfCGap0Pic President Kennedy - Speech on Ataturk]

==Bibliography==
* Balfour, Patrick. ''Ataturk: The Rebirth of a Nation'' (1964).
* Çandar, Cengiz, and David Pryce-Jones. "Atatürk's Ambiguous Legacy." ''Wilson Quarterly'' 2000 24(4): 88-96. Issn: 0363-3276 Fulltext: [[Ebsco]]
* Eissenstat, Howard. "History and Historiography: Politics and Memory in the Turkish Republic." ''Contemporary European History'' 2003 12(1): 93-105. Issn: 0960-7773 Fulltext: in Cambridge journals.
* Karpat, Kemal H. "The Personality of Ataturk," ''The American Historical Review'', Vol. 90, No. 4 (Oct., 1985), pp. 893–899 [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-8762(198510)90%3A4%3C893%3ATPOA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q in JSTOR]
* Kazancigil, Ali and Özbudun, Ergun, eds. ''Atatürk: Founder of a Modern State.'' Archon, 1982. 243 pp.
* Kedourie, Sylvia, ed. ''Seventy-Five Years of the Turkish Republic.'' (1999). 237 pp.
* Kedourie, Sylvia. ''Turkey Before and After Ataturk: Internal and External Affairs'' (1989) 282pp; [http://books.google.com/books?id=OXRnTgmrmC0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=intitle:ataturk&num=30&as_brr=0&sig=dFTndXR43BukG1RtrNY4GvrcTeo excerpts and text search]
* Kinross, Patrick. ''Ataturk: The Rebirth of a Nation'' (1965) 615pp
* Macfie, A.L. ''Ataturk'' (1995) 275pp [http://www.amazon.com/Ataturk-Profiles-Power-L-Macfie/dp/0582078636/ref=cm_lmf_img_3 excerpt and text search]
* Mango, Andrew. ''Ataturk: The Biography of the Founder of Modern Turkey'' (1999) [http://www.amazon.com/Ataturk-Biography-founder-Modern-Turkey/dp/158567334X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196105830&sr=8-1rpt and text search]
* Tachau, Frank. ''Kemal Ataturk'' (1987)
* Trask, Roger R. "The United States and Turkish Nationalism: Investments and Technical Aid during the Ataturk Era," ''Business History Review,'' Vol. 38, No. 1, International Government-Business Issue (Spring, 1964), pp. 58–77 [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0007-6805(196421)38%3A1%3C58%3ATUSATN%3E2.0.CO%3B2-D in JSTOR]
* Volkan, Vamik D., and Norman Itzko. ''The Immortal Ataturk--A Psychobiography'' (1984)
* Weiker, Walter F. ''The Modernization of Turkey: From Ataturk to the Present Day'' (1981) [http://www.questia.com/read/43183327 online edition]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atatürk, Mustafa Kemal}}
[[Category:Turkey]]