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Bloody terrorist attack in Paris have dominated the discussions of top representatives of the Group of 20 (G20) nations held November 15-16 in Antalya Turkey. Related to this despicable terrorism, the gathering has devoted focused attention to helping the massive flow of refugees from the Middle East, stemming primarily from the Syria civil war.

            Turkey is G20 President for 2015, and events preliminary to the summit have been held throughout the year. Finance ministers, and labor and employment ministers, met in early September in capital city Ankara. The organization began in 1999 to further coordination of monetary policies in the aftermath of the enormous Asia financial crisis. The members account for approximately 85 percent of the world’s gross economic product.

            Turkey represents the complexity of a traditional society undergoing rapid industrial development. At times, news is dominated by controversial President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and conflict with the Kurd minority. Historical context therefore is especially important. Since the 1920s revolution led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turkey has had constitutional government.

            Three aspects of history are especially germane. First, in contrast to other Muslim states, Turkey has been actively engaged with both Europe and Central Asia.

            Second, since World War II Turkey has been able to maintain reasonably good relations with most of the nations in Europe plus the United States, despite both the failure of the European Union (EU) to approve membership and the disastrous U.S. invasion of Iraq.

            Third, Turkey represents a unique marriage of firmly-rooted Muslim religious and cultural traditions with Western governmental institutions and social practices. This draws on the nation’s Ottoman tradition of combining religious and secular dimensions. Incentives to reconcile the Orient and the Occident, already powerful in East Asia, are becoming more important in Europe and Western Asia as well. Criminal terrorist incidents occur in the context of this complex tapestry.

            In “Lords of the Horizon – A History of the Ottoman Empire,” Jason Goodwin notes that he writes “about a people who do not exist. The word ‘Ottoman’ does not describe a place. Nobody nowadays speaks their language. Only a few professors can begin to understand their poetry… [Yet] for six hundred years the Ottoman empire swelled and declined.” (1998 edition, p. xiii). From the thirteenth century to the accelerating problems of the nineteenth century, the Ottoman territory – which crested at the Danube in Europe – was built on military success reinforced by secular executive practices, but not investment and trade.

            While the Industrial Revolution initially passed Turkey by, that has changed dramatically. Over the past quarter century, the economy has moved from uncertainty to powerhouse. Growth has been strong, both corruption and inflation have been greatly reduced, and government red tape and bottlenecks have been steadily eliminated. Much of the credit belongs to reform Prime Minister and President Turgut Özal, who held office from 1983 to 1993. His relationship with President George H.W. Bush was particularly important during the 1990-91 Gulf War.

            While Turkey has had uncertain relations with the EU, NATO ties have always been strong. Turkey was a significant combatant in the Korean War and First Gulf War. In Afghanistan, the nation has held top leadership positions. Turkey oversees sea and land routes, including the Bosphorus Strait, vital to shipping and strategy. 

The G20 is primarily an economic organization, but the Paris attacks are a bloody reminder that public safety and security are integral to commercial cooperation.

Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of “After the Cold War” (NYU Press and Macmillan/Palgrave). Contact acyr@carthage.edu