Right now Turkey is not a nation confused about the future, nor is Istanbul some kind of ideological battleground but they are a city and a nation on a fairly straight path to the prosperity and international respect that befits one of Europe and Asia’s new regional powers an done of the oldest and finest cultural centers.

In the middle of economic or political disaster, Turkey will soon surpass the Nedherlands as the wolds’s 16th great economy coutry, somewhere on a par with Australia. Even at these years global financial crisis has merely collapsed, rather than destroyed, Turkey’s strong yearly economic growth rate. 

Istanbul, a city of almost 16 million with excitement and individuality, a stark contrast to the increasingly homogenized capitals of Europe, or strip-mall sameness that is spreading though the United States and the Middle East. You can see many industries thrive on every corner of the Beyoglu and Nisantasi zones where you will be able to see design, architecture, music, publishing, and more.

Fashions used to imported but style is now very much a homegrown affair. The wold class Istanbul Modern Museum is a art comlex that would not look out of place in New York, Berlin or Seoul and showcases primarily local art, not foreign works. 

Soccer is also very high quality right now. Players from the city's big soccer clubs once looked abroad for success and now these clubs take on all comers in the Europen Champions League, attracting world stars to Istanbul.