Catch up on the key topics on Turkey’s political agenda with this material published by Carnegie.
EU-Turkey Relations
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How Will the EU Deal With Postelection Turkey?
Turkey’s future will depend to a large extent on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğgan, who remains the towering figure of the country’s politics.
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Judy Asks: Can the EU Do Business With Erdoğan?
Ten leading experts, from Turkey and elsewhere, examine whether Turkey and the European Union can work together.
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Turkey Can’t Be Europe’s Gatekeeper
Turkey cannot be the solution for the European Union’s inability to act collectively to address the refugee crisis and develop policies to share the burden.
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The Roots of Europe’s Refugee Crisis
The Syrian refugee crisis is impacting political stability in the Middle East and Europe. How should leaders respond to the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II?
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Erdoğan’s Delicate Visit to Brussels
The Turkish president’s October trip to the EU institutions came at a critical time for the international community, for the EU, and for Turkey.
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How “Brexit” Could End the EU-Turkey Deadlock
If the UK leaves the EU, that might also be a game changer for Ankara. But a partnership short of membership could fail to drive further political reforms in Turkey.
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After June 7, Is Turkey Closer to the EU?
With the Turkish electorate overwhelmingly rejecting Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s hyperpresidential style of politics, is it safe to say that Turkey is moving closer to the European Union?
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A Moment of Opportunity in the EU-Turkey Relationship
EU-Turkey relations have grown very fast in recent years. Now, the pair should deepen their relationship by working together on issues that are of vital importance for both.
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A Turkey Road Map for the Next EU Foreign Policy Chief
A reshuffled EU leadership and a new Turkish presidency could provide a much-needed opportunity for a revamped EU-Turkey relationship.
Democracy and Freedoms
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Judy Asks: Can Democracy Be Rescued in Turkey?
Since the Gezi Park protests that erupted in May 2013, Turkish democracy has faced big challenges. For Turkey’s democratic renewal to succeed, the country desperately needs a push from the EU.
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Turkey at a Democratic Crossroad
The prospect of a coalition government offered Turkey an opportunity to overhaul its political culture and inch the country toward becoming a genuinely liberal democracy.
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What the HDP Success Means for Turkey
Turkey’s general election showed the HDP had successfully broadened its voter base, but it was unclear how this would affect negotiations to form a parliamentary coalition.
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Kurds’ Electoral Gamble
Kurds will benefit from the HDP’s decision to run as a party in Turkey’s parliamentary elections, but the party will bear most of the risk.
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A Mutual Embrace Will Protect Turkey and Europe Amid Extremism
Europe needs a more concerted effort to tackle the interlinked challenges of radicalization and Islamophobia. Embracing Turkey’s European dream may be part of the solution.
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How Far Backward Is Turkey Sliding?
In early 2014, Turkey was in the midst of a deepening political crisis with far-reaching consequences. That was worrisome not just at home but also for outside actors, especially the EU.
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Turkey Needs Less Money in Politics, and Less Politics in Court
The sooner the Turkish political class is able to reach a consensus on the indispensability of a reform agenda, the sooner the country can return to long-term political stability.
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Turkey Needs More Liberalism With Its Democracy
The question of whether a government can and should enforce rules about personal morality is at the center of political arguments in Turkey and the outcome of this dispute will determine the future direction of the country.
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Turkey and the World, Post-Gezi
After the Gezi protests, freedom of cultural expression and coexistence of different lifestyles became the centerpiece of Turkey’s political debate and image abroad.
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Individual Freedoms in Turkey
What is at stake in Turkey is the issue of fundamental freedoms in the daily life of Turkish citizens and the limits on an elected government’s way to exercise authority.
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Urban Transformation in Turkey
The issue of urban regeneration in Turkey has morphed into a nationwide political problem. It is now the symbol of the country’s contested style of democratic management.
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Press Freedom in Turkey
Turkey’s efforts to curtail press freedom are not serving the state well, even in its fight against terror. Ankara should take steps to improve its record.
Foreign policy
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What the AKP’s Resounding Victory Means for Turkey’s Foreign Policy
Backed strongly by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) won the November 1 parliamentary election. This victory will have significant repercussions for Turkey’s foreign policy.
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Turkey’s Uncertain Policy on Syria
Reading Turkey’s uncertain policy on Syria is a complex undertaking: Ankara’s reluctance remains rooted in domestic politics.
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The Ankara Bombing Will Shift Turkey’s Foreign Policy Priorities
The October 2015 terrorist attack in Ankara is likely to have major ramifications for both the domestic and the regional policies of the Turkish government.
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The Roots of Europe’s Refugee Crisis
The Syrian refugee crisis is impacting political stability in the Middle East and Europe. How should leaders respond to the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II?
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ISIS or Kurdish Rebels: Who Is Turkey Really Fighting Anyway?
The Islamic State has given President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan a convenient cover to crack down on Ankara’s longtime nemesis: Kurdish rebels from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
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What to Make of Turkey’s New Counterterrorism Policy
Ankara’s change of policy toward the Islamic State is a game changer. But the shift coincides with a more perplexing move against Turkey’s Kurdish insurgency.
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No Turkish Safe Zone in Syria
The intensification of Turkish military action against the Islamic State and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party does not translate into establishing a safe zone in Syria.
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Are Saudi Arabia and Turkey About to Intervene in Syria?
Without U.S. backing and approval, a large-scale Arab and Turkish military intervention in Syria isn’t likely. But that’s not the only way to increase pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
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Making Amends for the Armenian Genocide
Since the election of the government of the Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP), Turkey has awkwardly begun to open up to its past. A space has opened up that has allowed diaspora Armenians to travel to their former homeland and citizens of Turkey to own up to their formerly hidden Armenian grandparents.
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Turkey’s Role in a Turbulent Middle East
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, then the Turkish foreign minister, addressed the country’s evolving policy toward the Middle East, including its role in the conflicts in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
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Armenia, Turkey Clashing Over April 24
The Turkish government’s decision to hold a ceremony to commemorate the Gallipoli battles on April 24, in competition with the Armenian commemorations in Yerevan, looks like a political mistake.
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Ukrainian Crisis and Its Limited Impact on Turkish-Russian Relations
Turkey and Russia have a deeply compartmentalized relationship. A disagreement on one regional issue—Ukraine, Georgia, or even Syria—will not necessarily derail their bilateral relations.
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Understanding Turkey’s Take on the Islamic State
Ankara should acknowledge that political realities and threats in the Middle East are changing fast. And the West should support a change in Turkish policy.
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Turkey’s Border Threat and NATO’s Role
The West and Turkey should meet the Islamic State threat with counterterrorism and border control measures. That may not be a military operation, but it is a big challenge.
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Kobanê and Beyond: Unfathomable Risks for Turkey and the Kurds
If Islamic State militants were to gain control of Syrian Kurdish areas, it would trigger a political earthquake among the Kurdish communities of Turkey and Western Europe.
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A New Turkish Foreign Policy?
The Syrian and Iraqi crises revealed that Turkey cannot guarantee its own security without solid cooperation from its Western allies. As Erdoğan transitions from prime minster to president, he must recognize this reality.
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The Seesaw Friendship Between Turkey’s AKP and Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood
The once warm relationship between Turkey’s AKP and Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood has measurably cooled as geopolitical realities have shifted.
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Turkey’s Uphill Battle in Syria
Turkey faces the challenge of recalibrating its policy toward Syria given the Assad regime’s resilience and gradual recovery of international legitimacy.
Economy and Energy
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The Energy Security Dilemma of Turkish Stream
Energy dependence between the EU and Russia has increased mistrust between them, and energy has become an issue of national security for both sides.
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The Energy Security Dilemma of Turkish Stream
Economic interests, combined with national security considerations, give Turkey an incentive not to seek nuclear weapons.
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Turkey’s Nuclear Future
Turkey is a rising economic and political force with the ability to affect dynamics in the greater Middle East, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. To meet its rising energy needs, the country—already an important actor in the international nuclear order—plans to establish nuclear power plants on its territory.
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Locked In or Left Out? Transatlantic Trade Beyond Brussels and Washington
The United States and the EU are negotiating a transatlantic trade deal that could be difficult to multilateralize. Third countries should engage now to avoid that danger later.
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Is There a Political Meaning to Turkey’s Mining Tragedy?
The Turkish government’s mishandling of a mining disaster has political implications that reach beyond the catastrophe’s massive human cost.
This page was last updated on November 6, 2015.