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Balkanlar'da Kimlik ve Egemenlik (Identity and Sovereignty in the Balkans) |
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reviewed by Muzaffer Vatansever |
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Author: Sule Kut |
ISBN:
975-6176-35-0 |
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Publisher:
Istanbul Bilgi Universitesi Yayinlari |
Page:
248 |
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Type:
Hardcover |
Price:
15 TL |
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Place of Publication:
Istanbul |
Published in:
2005 |
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Review: |
The 20th century was an age of supra-national unifications for some societies, and sectarian ethnic violence for others simultaneously. While the developed capitalist countries have triggered the supra-national unifications, the old communist countries have mainly been the victims of sectarian and ethnic violence. The old continent Europe has been the scene of both of those experiences. On one side of the coin, the mainstream countries of the continental Europe came together and united under the name of the European Coal and Steel Community. This important step paved the way for the biggest European integration project in history. On the other side, dissolutions from former empires to nation states materialized in a short period of time. The most significant example of this appeared in the case of Yugoslavia in 1992. While experiencing this turbulent process, many states failed to secure their independence and were faced with challenging problems.
In this regard, this book covers the 'disintegration part' of the 20th century. Sule Kut, professor of Political Science at Istanbul Bilgi University, focuses on the vertiginous developments over the first ten years that the region was re-shaped after Yugoslavia's dissolution. The aim of the book is to collect eleven separate articles regarding the striking developments that took place throughout the 1990s. Since it is an edited book, it is not possible to speak about a common framework. Yet, all of the articles touch upon different aspects of the "great transformation" of the Balkans after the 1990s. In other words, Kut does not try to make an overall assessment of the entire Balkan region. Instead, she underlines the special turning points. By concentrating on the 1990s, she witnessed the most troubled times of the region. Starting in 1991, Yugoslavia disintegrated and it was followed by several new republics as separate entities. That situation did not resolve the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia; in contrast, these newly-emerged countries faced many new problems, among which identity and sovereignty come first. In this regard, Kut's articles highlight the difficulties of creating a peaceful environment with the social and economic welfare in the region.
The first chapter of the book touches upon the naming dispute of Macedonia and other problems such as the declaration of independence, the first fair elections, and the constitution of a newly emerged state. Then Macedonia's problem of international recognition arises due to the abovementioned disputes. Besides, she touches upon the minority problem, which is a common issue for all of the Balkan countries. In the following parts of the book, Kut points once again to Macedonia in terms of the other aspects concerning the country's success despite all the drawbacks. The second chapter focuses on the disintegration of Yugoslavia in general, and Turkey's approach regarding Bosnia-Herzegovina, in particular. Kut discusses Turkey's diplomatic efforts between 1991 and 1993. However, according to the author, Turkey did not succeed in finalizing its efforts to convince the international society to intervene in the conflict between Serbians and Bosnians. The third chapter is quite interesting in terms of dealing with the possible 'Third Balkan War' scenarios. The author makes striking assessments in this chapter regarding Macedonia and Kosovo. Kut leaves a separate chapter for the minority issue in the Balkans, which carries the banner among all the other problems in the region and creates serious troubles, especially concerning the borders as becoming a tool of changing balance in the region-targeting politics of the Great Powers. Furthermore, nationalism is another focal point of Kut's articles. She defines it as the Gordian Knot of the region. Then, Kut evaluates the politics of the U.S. and the EU over the Bosnia and Kosovo conflicts. In addition, she analyzes the West's politics in these two cases in terms of continuity and change. The Albanian question was assessed under a separate headline and details of the country's 1997 chaos regarding the banker's scandal are given. Finally, Kut leaves a special section for Turkey's relations with the Balkan countries after the Cold War era. As known, the balances dramatically changed with the collapse of Soviet Union and the dissolution of Yugoslavia, respectively. In such a kind of chaotic environment, the Turkish authorities faced a complex web of diplomacy thanks to the newly emerged countries. During the Cold War era Turkey was conducting a more-or-less predictable diplomacy framework vis-à-vis the established states. Yet, with the emergence of the post-communist states, a "new diplomacy approach" was required. How should Turkey orient itself in this situation? The author looks for the answer to this question and concludes that chapter by explaining the constructive efforts of Turkey.
After the summary of the book at a glance, it will be apt to draw a general picture about the book. The Balkans is a region that reminds scholars of the importance of its history. In that vein, the most significant focus point of Kut's articles has been the history of events. Since it is not possible to make an accurate evaluation of today's world without knowing the past, an ontological perspective echoes throughout the book. This historical depth strengthens her analysis on the current social, political, and economic structure of the countries. In addition, it guides the readers to reach and to discover the sources of the problems. For instance, in the Kosovo case, the author gives historical details and enables the reader to cover the current situation with a holistic point of view.
The second focus point of Kut's articles is the big powers' role during this period, which is derived from the peculiar structure of the region. The region has always been subjected to the clashes among the Great Powers. Since Balkan countries, geographically, control the direct land routes between Western Europe and South West Asia, it has been the most strategic place for Western countries throughout history. Especially, as the first area in which European expansionism has emerged, the region experienced power struggles that swing between bloody wars and diplomatic maneuvers. In that vein, during the 1990s, the most determinant actors in the region were the U.S. and the EU. From the author's point of view, the independence processes of these countries after the dissolution of Yugoslavia were not only the confrontation of regional actors but also the interventions of international organizations, especially the EU, NATO, and U.S.-led forces.
Thirdly, Kut touches upon Turkey's role in this period. According to her, since Turkey is one of the regional actors in Balkans, she followed a constructive approach towards the region. In fact, Turkey, ever since its foundation, has developed a foreign policy based on stability at both the domestic and international level. In this regard, Turkey tried to provide a peaceful environment among its near neighboring countries. It was the first country to recognize the newly established states in the Balkans after Yugoslavia's dissolution. In the same vein, it raised its voice in every international platform on behalf of these countries. However, it was impossible for Turkey to design a peaceful political solution alone. Despite Turkey's positive efforts, the Great Powers acted in line with their own interests and benefited from this problematic situation.
In conclusion, Kut's work is one of the important books in Turkish in terms of the limited literature concentrated on the region. It covers one of the most troubled periods in the history of the Balkans. In addition, when it is taken into consideration that there are a handful scholars studying Balkans, except historians, it is more meaningful that the book was written by a political scientist. One criticism of the book is that, despite making remarkable analysis at the end of the articles, the author did not establish direct connections between the events. Arguably, the major reason for this is that the volume is a collection. In this regard, some readers could find separate reflections of the great transformation instead of a general framework.
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about book: |
The 20th century was an age of supra-national unifications for some societies, and sectarian ethnic violence for others simultaneously. While the developed capitalist countries have triggered the supra-national unifications, the old communist countries have mainly been the victims of sectarian and ethnic violence. The old continent Europe has been the scene of both of those experiences.
In this regard, this book covers the 'disintegration part' of the 20th century. Sule Kut, professor of Political Science at Istanbul Bilgi University, focuses on the vertiginous developments over the first ten years that the region was re-shaped after Yugoslavia's dissolution. |
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Editor for Book Reviews:
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bookreviews@turkishweekly.net
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