Book Presentation & Signing Program

Introduction of the author by:Ambassador Ulf HJERTONSSON

Moderator: Professor Peter AWN

Dean of General Studies and Director of MEI at Columbia University

WHEN:On Wednesday, February 25, 2009

TIME: Registration & Reception 6:30 pm, with program to follow

WHERE:Columbia University, International Affairs Building (IAB room 1501, 15th floor) Located at 420 W. 118th Street (at Amsterdam Avenue)

Please RSVP by: February 24, 2009, 5PM.

Please RSVP to> contact@lightmillennium.orgWeb site: http://lightmillennium.org-

This event is free and open to the general public.

Ann DISMORR’s book, “Turkey Decoded”, examines Turkey's foreign policy, ties with the US and the Middle East, as well as troubled relations with the EU. Some of the twenty-first century's greatest challenges are reflected in Turkey-EU relations: the widening gap between the West and the Muslim world, terrorism, and the struggle for human rights and democratization. Although membership talks were launched more than three years ago and are anticipated to finish in 2014, fully fledged membership is far from certain. There is growing concern in both Turkey and the West about Turkey's "Islamization."Ann DISMORR examines the implications of Turkey's affiliation with Europe while also addressing its role in the Middle East and its complex relationship with the U.S. She pays particular attention to the sweeping reforms initiated by the Justice and Development Party, and to the career and policies of one-time political prisoner and current Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. From the unique view point of one of the few female ambassadors to Turkey, DISMORR describes a country in transition, covering topics from the Kurds to the Iraq War, women's rights, the crisis over Cyprus and the polarizing presidential election of 2007.

"Turkey Decoded" includes the following 12 chapters:
1) Turkish Identity;

2) Turkey in the Waiting Room of the European Union;

3) Changing EU-Turkish Relations, 1999-2007;

4) Pro-Islamic Party Gained Power and Succeed in Historic EU Breakthrough;

5) From Human Rights Deficit to Progress;

6) The Kurdish Question: A Roadblock to Turkish EU Membership?;
7) Women Between Tradition and Transformation;

8) Changing US-Turkish Relations and their Impact on the EU Process;

9) Turkey's Role in the Middle East: Possibilities and Limitations;

10) Turkey: Bridge or Barrier Between East and West?;

11) Turkey's Future: EU Success Story or Unfulfilled Promise?;

12) The Beginning of a Post-Kemalist Era.

Following the presentation, there will be an open discussion moderated by Prof. Peter AWN.