The Turkish Republic celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2023. Indeed Turkey is an ancient country and we cherish the memories of the past. However we embarked on a new journey one hundred years ago when we became a completely modern nation. Many achievements have been made during this period but perhaps the world still does not completely recognise how far the country has come. Needless to say there still remains a distance between Turkey and Europe but this is getting less every day.

After one hundred years Turkey is in far better shape than when the Republic was first established. Turkey remained a highly impoverished and underdeveloped agricultural nation in 1923 with minimal industry scant infrastructure and a high death rate. Nevertheless Atatürk the Republic's creator was determined to rebuild Turkey from the ruins he inherited into a powerful independent affluent and modern nation.

In 2023 Turkey has an estimated population of 85 million which is seven times larger than it was at the start of the Republic. Almost half the population resides in urban areas. The society is largely industrialised and with universities located in every province it is becoming increasingly high-tech. Moreover Turkey is a democracy and is the only secular state in the Islamic world as well as the only democracy with a strong foundation in the region. However it could be said that Turkey may not have always received the recognition it merits for this. Some even argue that it ought to be more Islamic and Middle Eastern. But in my opinion one of the most significant developments for the global system has been the rise of a sizable powerful industrial nation with a pluralist government on the outskirts of Europe Asia and the Middle East. In the coming century Turkey's significance will only increase.