[.ca] Jefferson & Ataturk: Political Philosophies (ISBN 0820449776)

Good Book Comparing Two World Giants:
I havent read this book yet but have breifly glanced over it and was impressed at how the 2 men can and were compared. With regards to the ignoramus who states that Turks don't give any rights to Kurds obviously has been living in a cave for the past 20 years or has no brain to speak of. I am Turkish and we Turks have given Kurds autonomy and the right to practice their own religion and culture. So anyone who says that we havent is not only hateful but ignorant and stupid as well and needs to get over his/her insecurities. Finally as for human rights against Kurds why dont you Mr. Reader from London tell that to the thousands of families of the Turkish Soldiers that lost their sons to the murderous PKK. I also dont think its appropriate for an ignoramus to critique a book about a legendary Turkish Leader. Go get some facts first before you speak ignorantly. I rest my case.

An updated version of my review March 29, 2004:
Two Giants from two different eras and countries, July 30, 2001 Reviewer: Dr J.E.Botton from Lynchburg, VA United States. I have been looking forward to the publication of this interesting book by Prof.Garrett W.Sheldon. This concise work by a jeffersonian scholar (87 pages and an appendix outlining the American and Turkish Constitutions) had been inspired, according to the author, by an "uncanny resemblance between the ideals of republicanism, freedom of religion,liberty of conscience, public education,economic development and national independence found in Ataturk and Jefferson". Although I read it with great interest, I was somewhat dismayed by the the rather limited place given to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (only three references..) versus a man certainly very well known, particularly in the US, Thomas Jefferson (eighteen references). While the latter was a leader in the struggle for independence and foundation of a new State following a revolutionary war against England, Ataturk managed to establish a new Republic after a most difficult fight against the same England, as well as France, Italy, Russia, Greece,etc. during the First World War and, in the same time, getting the country rid of a much weakened Ottoman Sultanate and the Caliphate. In addition,and within only fifteen years, he managed a long lasting revolution in education by switching from an arabic to a latin alphabet, civil and political rights to men and women as well as minorities, complete separation of state and religion,etc. "Turks undoubtedly owe Ataturk an enormous debt of gratitude. After all, he almost single-handed saved their country from destruction. At the end of the first world war, it looked as though, after centuries of Ottoman decline, Turkey might disappear from the map altogether. But Ataturk rallied the bedraggled remnants of the Ottoman army, defeated the invading Greeks, threw out the humiliating treaty of Sèvres and won international recognition of an expanded and revitalised Turkish state.Over the next 15 years, Ataturk reinvented Turkey on the model of a European nation-state. He replaced an absolute monarchy with a democratic republic, an explicitly Islamic ethos with staunch secularism, a fractured and inefficient administrative system with a centralised bureaucracy, and an agrarian economy with an increasingly urban and industrial society. For Turkey, Ataturk was the equivalent of the Pilgrim Fathers, George Washington and Henry Ford all rolled into one.Astonishingly enough, it worked. Ataturk's creation has not only survived but thrived. The remnants of a tattered empire have become an important country by any measure, with the world's 17th-largest population as well as economy. Its armed forces are the second-largest in NATO. It exports everything from T-shirts to F-16 fighters, not to mention workers by the million. It has football teams that can challenge the best in Europe, and an airline that flies all over the world. For decades, Turkey has managed to preserve-albeit with the occasional interruption-both a vibrant economy and a functioning democracy." (The Economist June 8th, 2000) One can easily state that Ataturk had achieved the military successes of George Washington, the political savvy of John Adams along the qualities of a Renaissance man such as Jefferson, all of it within less than twentyfive years. Nevertheless, this is an important work that, hopefully, may stimulate further evaluation of Ataturk, who, it may be useful to mention,had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by the then greek prime minister Elefterios Venizelos, once his foe.. Not withstanding his deprecators acting on misinformation and personal hatred, he deserves to be placed among the greatest achievers of the 20th century..

Political Philosophy:
There are universal politics and pragmatic daily politics. People follow universal politics will be remembered and copied.. People follow daily politics can end up in The Hague War Crimes Court here in Holland.. Jefferson attempted to establish a universal politics up to some extend , Ataturk surely and firmly established a universal politics.. We have now all seen , thanks to the occupation of Iraq by USA military forces; what is meant by Ataturk's universal politics , "Peace at home , peace in the world". Ataturk's Modern Turkey was never been an aggresive power.. Jefferson did not give rights to ethnic minorities , Jefferson did not admit the massacres of local Indians and Jefferson failed to create a universal democracy.. Jefferson is not an international figure but Ataturk is. Jefferson is already forgotten and only cherished by Americans.. Is there any country copied his policy ? Ataturk is being re-evaluated and became a model of many nations.. Ataturk cretaed a universal dimension to international politics and he was ahead of his time , like Gandhi and Lenin....Entire Middle East , many African Countries , many Latin American countries copied his politics.. How sad to see how the followers of Jefferson "filtered" the terrorism. Seemingly there are bad terrorist and also good terrorist in the eyes of Pragmatic Political Philosophers (?) who consider people like Fethullah Gulen , wanted by red- bulletine in all European states (i.e. Ayatollah Khoumeini of Turkey ) as a good guy and employed his services to the upmost extend in Asia , grant him permenant US residency whose malicious thoughts are merely focused on to demolish Ataturk's Modern and secular Turkey and establish an Iran-alike Islamic state. So the question is ; should an established Universal Political Philosophy in which Jefferson attempted to create , allow this ?

Jefferson and Ataturk--Are you kidding?:
This book is insulting to what Jefferson, and America stand for. It may be true that both wore great visionaries but, Jefferson's visions created the United States of America, while Ataturk's created the Republic of Turkey which does not allow religious freedom, which persecutes the Kurds, and has no concept of human rights. I think that this is a good book to read if you want to laugh, but if you want to learn about Ataturk and the republic of Turkey read a book that does not glorify them but gives the facts as they are, which this book does not.

Beautiful Book:
This is a very good book about two great leaders and an interesting comparison of two leaders at very different situations. This book is not about a contest about whose country succeded to date. But a book about the characters of two visioners. It is obvious that Kemal Ataturk changed so much in his country. Here in the US it took more than Jeferson to set up the system. As it seems it took only Ataturk to transform Turkey.