Turkey

This is a collection of the articles, audio podcasts and blog posts by ECFR experts, analysing Turkey and its changing place in the world. ECFR’s work on Turkey is part of the Wider Europe programme.

In June 2011 ECFR published “What does Turkey think?”, a collection of nine essays by Turkish experts and political figures from different backgrounds – Islamists, secularists, Kurds and liberals. The essays, edited by Dimitar Bechev, examine how questions of identity, democratisation and Ankara’s evolving foreign policy are seen from within the country.

Launch events to marrk the publication of WDTT have been held in Sofia, Berlin, Paris, Brussels, Rome, Istanbul and London. Another launch event will be help in Warsaw on 26th January. You can read an account in German of the Berlin event here (German). Click here to go to the foreword for the Polish edition of WDTT.

In ECFR’s report on European security – “The spectre of a multipolar Europe” – the authors argued that European leaders had to build a security trialogue along with Russia and Turkey.

ECFR’s Foreign Policy Scorecard:

Turkish issues were examined in detail in ECFR’s Foreign Policy Scorecard 2010. In the Wider Europe section of the Scorecard, the overall C- grade for components relating to Turkey indicated that in general Europe performed poorly in its relations with Ankara.

• Bilateral relations with Turkey
• Rule of law and human rights in Turkey
• Relations with Turkey on the Cyprus question
• Relations with Turkey on regional issues

Articles:

• "Turkey: the predictable elections that matter" by Dimitar Bechev - 10 June 2011
• “Five reasons why Europe is cracking” by José Ignacio Torreblanca – 17 May 2011
• “Who lost the Eastern Mediterranean?” by Richard Gowan – 7 February 2011
• “Turkey and the EU: an alternative approach” by Heather Grabbe and Sinan Ülgen – 25 January 2011
• “We need new rules for a multipolar Europe” by Mark Leonard and Ivan Krastev – 21 October 2010
• “Visions and illusions of a new security order” by Gülnur Aybet – 19 October 2010
• “The spectre of a multipolar Europe” by Ivan Krastev and Mark Leonard – 15 October 2010
• “Time for Europe to think bold thoughts” by Daniel Korski – 10 February 2010
• “EU’s credibility at stake if Turkey’s accession process stalls” by The Independent Commission on Turkey – 7 September 2009

Audio podcasts:

• Turkish membership of the EU with Martti Ahtisaari - 17 June 2011
• Analysing Turkey's election with Dimitar Bechev - 15 June 2011
• How Turkey and Erdogan have changed - with Hakan Altinay - 15 June 2011
• Turkey’s Kurds with Kerem Oktem – 9 May 2011
• Turkey’s response to events in Libya with Dimitar Bechev – 22 March 2011
• Turkish trade and the Turkish opposition with Mehmet Karli – 31 January 2011
• Turkey and NATO with Gülnur Aybet – 20 December 2010
• Wikileaks, Turkey and the US with Dimitar Bechev – 3 December 2010
• Turkish foreign policy seen from Istanbul with Gerald Knaus – 16 November 2010
• The security implications of Turkey’s emergence as a regional power with Dimitar Bechev – 15 October 2010
• Making the case for EU expansion to Turkey with Charles Clarke – 30 November 2009

Blog posts:

• “A Damascene moment for Turkey?” by Dimitar Bechev – 29 March 2011
• “Turkey, Libya, and unintended consequences” by Nicholas Walton – 24 March 2011
• “Turkish questions over Libya” by Nicholas Walton – 22 March 2011
• “Is Turkey capable of democratizing without the EU?” by Dimitar Bechev – 9 March 2011
• “Egypt and the Turkish model(s)” by Dimitar Bechev – 10 February 2011
• “Erdogan on Egypt: Turkey to the rescue?” by Fran Yeoman – 2 February 2011
• “Sofia view: of fences and neighbours” by Dimitar Bechev – 24 January 2011
• “Turkey’s neighbourhood policy makes it onto Wikileaks” by Dimitar Bechev – 30 November 2010
• “Turkey: an actor not an issue” by Dimitar Bechev and Ben Judah – 19 November 2010
• “The view from Istanbul” by Nicholas Walton – 16 November 2010