[101] MTSU Honors College Hosts Sept. 23 Lecture by Afacan on Civil-Military Relations in Turkey

Release date: Sept. 17, 2010

News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Honors College contact: Dr. John Vile, 615-898-2152 or jvile@mtsu.edu

MTSU Honors College Hosts Sept. 23 Lecture
by Afacan on Civil-Military Relations in Turkey


(MURFREESBORO) — The University Honors College at MTSU will be hosting a lecture by Isa Afacan on “Civil-Military Relations and Democratization in Turkey” from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, in the Honors Amphitheatre, Room 106 of the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building.
The lecture is free and open to students, faculty, staff and the general public.
Afacan is the director of Academic Affairs at the Istanbul Center in Atlanta, where he has been a liaison between visiting dignitaries from Turkey and state and local officials.
Afacan is a doctorial candidate in the School of International and Public Affairs at Florida International University, where he taught international affairs for three years. He is working on his dissertation on Turkish-American foreign relations in the post-Cold War era.
The speech is being co-sponsored by the Society of University Dialogue, the Istanbul Center and the Honors College.
Dr. John R. Vile, dean of the Honors College and a recent visitor to Turkey, observes that although Turkey is a leading democratic Muslim nation, the military has in the past sometimes intervened in politics to preserve the separation of church and state.
“The ongoing relationship between military and civilian authorities is thus critical to the future of the country and possibly to the region as a whole,” Vile said.
Afacan should have time to answer questions from audience members.

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Media welcomed.

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