The Turkish Objectivist Network was established in 2020 after Orçun Koçak and Özgür Özer attended the Prometheus Academy in Batumi, hosted by ARCE. Özgür had attended TOS-Con in 2019, and both young men had been involved in SFL’s Leadership Program for years. Inspired by these events and programs, they launched TON and began cooperating with established free market think tanks in Turkey to advance Ayn Rand’s ideas.
During the past year, Orçun and Özgür have taught JGS courses online in Turkish, have given webinars on Objectivism, and have produced videos discussing how Objectivism applies to various issues in life. These are available on YouTube (in Turkish). They are now working to disseminate their programs in other countries in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa).
Orçun and Özgür are currently working with seven representatives from five MENA countries—Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, and Iraq—and, throughout 2022, they plan to travel to these countries and help establish local Objectivism study groups. During their trips in the Middle East, Orçun and Özgür will discuss and distribute the Arabic edition of The Virtue of Selfishness.
