The Rise of a New Superpower: Turkey's Key Role in the World Economy and Energy Market.

• Author: Hasan, Sabbir
• Position: Book review

The Rise of a New Superpower: Turkey's Key Role in the World Economy and Energy Market By Angelo Arcuri Cham, New York: Springer, 2013, 62 pages, $49.99, ISBN: 9783319004303

During the radical economic transformation taking place over the last decades, which is characterized by the decline of the West, Turkey has emerged as one of the strongest countries to sustain economic progress. This steady economic growth has brought Turkey to the threshold of becoming a high-income country. Turkey has also progressed by accomplishing almost all of the conditions necessary to achieving EU membership, although, according to EU member states, Turkey still has work to do to fulfill the standards. Angelo Arcuri, lecturer at the European School of Economics and Head of the International Business Department at Confindustria Firenze, the Employers' Association of Florence, describes Turkey's economic situation in his academic book, The Rise of a New Superpower: Turkey's Key Role in the World Economy and Energy Market.

Arcuri divides the book into four chapters; in the first chapter the author illustrates the aim of this book, i.e., explaining Turkey's new central role within the international community. In the second chapter, the author frequently portrays Turkey's economic advancements, and makes a SWOT analysis of different aspects of these achievements. Under the title of "Energy Market," Arcuri examines the different strategic role of the Turkish energy sector and its opportunities, including the development of renewable energy policies, and the necessity of EU engagement and Russian placement in nuclear engagements. In the last chapter, Arcuri illustrates the ups and downs of Turkish foreign relations with the EU, the UK and other countries from a historical perspective.

In the beginning, the author pays attention to the field of banking finance in terms of private consumption, infrastructure development by the International Monetary Fund, Turkey's efforts to reduce its trade deficit with foreign countries, the export of high value-added goods and the widespread privatization plan that led the Turkish economy to grow faster than that of some Eurozone countries. The author interviews the senior manager of SACE (Servizi Assicurativi del Commercio Estero), Mario Bruni, who describes the different types of industrial policies in Turkey. Bruni highlights that Turkey has expanded its technology market in the EU countries and the U.S. with low-price technology...