Advertise On EU-Digest

Annual Advertising Rates

1/30/20

Middle East: How Far Can Turkey Challenge NATO and the EU in 2020? - Carnegie Europe - by Marc Pierini

In their dealings with Turkey in 2020, NATO and the European Union will sit across a more assertive interlocutor than ever before, but one they can hardly ignore.

NATO leaders will have to cope with the actual deployment of Russian S-400 missiles, the possible acquisition of Russian fighter aircraft, the continuing Turkish military operations in northern Syria, and an incipient military deployment in Libya.

EU leaders will deal with ongoing issues, such as Syrian refugees in Turkey, the expulsion of jihadists of EU origin, and drilling operations around Cyprus, as well as new topics like the agreement with Libya on maritime boundaries, the implications for EU businesses resulting from eventual U.S. sanctions, and the consequences of Brexit for Turkey’s relations with the UK and the EU.

The number and seriousness of these issues, as well as the potential for more adverse developments in Turkey’s policies, justify a firm, resolute, and yet cooperative policy from NATO and the European Union.

President Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been in power since November 2002. 

Erdoğan himself was prime minister from March 2003 until August 2014 and president of the republic thereafter. One of the main achievements during that period was a notable increase in prosperity,
 resulting in the creation of a new middle class; a massive development of transportation, irrigation, and social infrastructure; and a military buildup. 

This is illustrated in a list of 824 projects launched and/or completed in the 2010–2019 period.
The presidency’s operating mode is one mixing bold initiatives producing visible results in the public space with the steady elimination of freedom of expression and a tight control of the media and the judiciary, as illustrated in contentious events like the 2019 municipal elections and the Gezi trial.

Read more at: How Far Can Turkey Challenge NATO and the EU in 2020? - Carnegie Europe - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

No comments: