In his new book, Soner Cagaptay warns that backsliding on democracy will endanger Turkey's growing power and prosperity—as recent events emphatically attest.

The Kurdish question consists of the desire of most Kurds to have the cultural, linguistic, and political rights that will protect their Kurdish identity. Some Kurds also seek autonomy or even independence from the countries in which they live; those states, however, have long denied such aspirations. … The result has been a constant instability that promises to intensify as the Kurds become more politically aware and as their cause grows more visible to the outside world.