SETA CONFERENCE By  Kim Beng Phar  Visiting Scholar, Waseda University, Organization of Asian Studies / SETA Research Fellow Date: November 15, 2007 Thursday Time: 15.00 - 16.30 Venue: SETA Foundation, Ankara   The Impact and Implication of East Asia as a Global Political Actor: The Risk/Perils of Indifference In, and by Turkey

Public demands for structural change in North Africa and the Middle East has brought Turkey to the global stage within a new context. The course of developments in Muslim countries and the direction the Middle East in particular will pursue is the most important item on the international agenda. Politicians and academics who discuss the topic in local and foreign media frequently mention Turkey as well. Questions like whether Turkey can serve as a model and be a source of inspiration for political and social change are asked. What experience does Turkey have? Which fields does it have the potential to impact? Can it contribute to change and transformation? How do the West and the Muslim world feel about Turkey’s role in the region? These are enlightening questions that Turkey should answer.