Sons of the conquerors: The rise of the Turkic world.

Original bdg. Dust wrapper. Demy 8vo. (22 x 14 cm). In English. 413 p., b/w ills. Sons of the conquerors: The rise of the Turkic world. A detailed portrait of the Turkic people explores events since World War I that have rendered the nation a vital NATO ally and the site of a secular Islamic democracy, tracing centuries of citizen ancestry to offer insight into how Turkish culture has significantly impacted history. By the co-author of Turkey Unveiled. 20,000 first printing. With the end of the Soviet Union began independence for a half-dozen Turkic countries, where Istanbul-based reporter Pope has made forays for the past 15 years, traveling in both presidential airliners and faltering taxis. Pope does not organize his trips chronologically, but, rather, according to what he believes are the seven collective characteristics of Turkic peoples. One is the "military vocation" epitomized by Turkey itself, whose military is regarded as the guardian of secularism; a concomitant trait is predilection for the political strongman. None of the new Turkic states is a liberal democracy, and none less so than Turkmenistan, home to a shambolic personality cult devoted to its dictator. Pope's talks with officials are always revelatory of local and international politics, but readers will most value his perceptiveness about Turkic culture when he, speaking fluent Turkish, meets ordinary people. Some of these are Uygurs, the Turkic minority suppressed by communist China, and others are part of the Turkic diaspora in Europe and America. A sensitive presentation of how Turks view themselves and their future.