Critical issues affecting Turkey and Eurasian societies will be the focus of a conference 9 a.m.-5:15 p.m. Tuesday, November 23, 2010, in Daugherty-Palmer Commons at St. Mary's College of Maryland. Speakers include the deputy chief of mission of the Turkish embassy. The event, which is free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by the college's Center for the Study of Democracy and The Washington Review of Turkish & Eurasian Affairs. For the full agenda and a list of speakers, contact arlyons@smcm.edu.

Panels will discuss challenges of the new Turkish foreign policy; democracy, Islam, and constitutionalism in Turkey; and the politics of Central Asia. Suleyman Gokce, Turkish embassy deputy chief of mission in Washington, D.C., will speak at 11:45 a.m. on "Perspectives of Turkish Foreign Policy."

St. Mary's College of Maryland, designated the Maryland state honors college in 1992, is ranked one of the best public liberal arts schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. More than 2,000 students attend the college, nestled on the St. Mary's River in Southern Maryland.