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Pierini is a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe, where his research focuses on developments in the Middle East and Turkey from a European perspective.
Marc Pierini is a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe, where his research focuses on developments in the Middle East and Turkey from a European perspective.
Pierini was a career EU diplomat from December 1976 to April 2012. He was EU ambassador and head of delegation to Turkey (2006–2011) and ambassador to Tunisia and Libya (2002–2006), Syria (1998–2002), and Morocco (1991–1995). He also served as the first coordinator for the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, or the Barcelona Process, from 1995 to 1998 and was the main negotiator for the release of the Bulgarian hostages from Libya from 2004 to 2007.
Pierini served as counselor in the cabinet of two European commissioners: Claude Cheysson, from 1979 to 1981, and Abel Matutes, from 1989 to 1991. He has published three essays in French: “Le prix de la liberté,” “Télégrammes diplomatiques,” and “Où va la Turquie?.”
Pierini is a member of the International Council of the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations in Marseille.
Ankara faces a number of foreign policy challenges, from the war in Syria to relations with the West. In each case, Turkey’s options are determined by domestic priorities.
Extreme tensions created by the July 2016 failed coup were decisive in hastening a debate on a draft new constitution in Turkey. If approved, the country will effectively adopt a one-man-rule system.
Domestic political trends are pushing Turkey toward a societal setup that is incompatible with EU and Western standards.
Turkey is perceived in the West as rolling back its rule-of-law architecture and being on the road to autocracy. The EU has a number of ways in which it can respond.
A new gas deal offers a tactical advantage for Turkey and a strategic boon for Russia, which will continue to dominate energy supplies to the EU.
Brussels and Ankara have a long to-do list ahead of them. But domestic politics on both sides could interfere with this schedule.
Despite recent—and harsh—rhetoric, one hopes that Brussels and Ankara find the common ground to work on their many mutual interests.
At a meeting in Saint Petersburg between the Russian and Turkish presidents, an opportunistic convergence of minds could emerge between the two leaders.
Turkey’s failed coup attempt raises three concerns for Western leaders: military reliability, the rule of law, and an ideological drift away from the West.
Ankara’s recent foreign policy shifts on Israel and Russia have been welcomed in the West. But a number of unanswered questions about Turkey’s future remain.
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