The complex relationship between Russia and Turkey is not easy to label. On the one hand, the two... more The complex relationship between Russia and Turkey is not easy to label. On the one hand, the two countries have been historical rivals and, arguably, their interests still clash in the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East. On the other hand, economic ties, particularly concerning energy, have grown over the past two decades to inextricably bind the two. It is also about the personalities in power. Critics liken the illiberal ways of President Tayyip Erdogan – including the conspiracy mind-set of blaming dissent at home on foreign meddling – to those of Vladimir Putin.1 Turkey's strained relations with its Western partners, an outcome of the stalled EU accession negotiations and the authoritarianism creeping into its domestic politics, have, no doubt, nudged it closer to Russia. Turkey, a pivotal NATO ally, has kept by and large out of the Ukraine crisis, refusing to join the US and EU sanctions. What is more, Putin used his visit to Ankara in early December 2014 to rebuff the EU by scrapping the South Stream gas pipeline and launch an alternative link to Turkey – "Turkish Stream
The article examines the power as well as the limits of the EU’s leverage on domestic governance ... more The article examines the power as well as the limits of the EU’s leverage on domestic governance in candidate countries from Eastern Europe through the cases of Bulgaria and Romania. It argues that the reasons for Bulgaria and Romania’s lagging behind in meeting the EU accession criteria have to do with a set of domestic factors. Powerful veto players and institutional structures embedded in the domestic sociopolitical context have obstructed reform in the sectors most susceptible to political influence and least likely to be reformed without external pressure. The EU’s leverage helps explain why the two laggards did succeed in breaking the vicious cir- cle of semireforms and in ultimately qualifying for EU membership. The EU conditionality has tilted the political balance in favour of a consensus on pro-EU reforms, but before these reforms can take root, they need to gen- erate further demand ‘from below.’
Turkey is sliding back on its democratisation path. During the conservative Justice and Developm... more Turkey is sliding back on its democratisation path. During the conservative Justice and Development Party’s third term in power, majoritarianism has triumphed over a drive to broaden pluralism and entrench the rule of law. The concentration of power in the hands of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the prevalence of the executive over the judicial branch, flawed media, and unabating polarisation in political life are all symptoms of democratic deadlock. Having turned its back on Turkey, the EU has seen its leverage plummet; Turkey itself has become selective when it comes to membership-oriented reforms. As the country elects a new president in August, it faces a host of challenges: slowing growth and financial volatility, the peace process with the PKK, and an increasingly unstable regional environment. Though Turkey is largely in an introverted mood, those challenges underscore the significance of its foreign partners, not least the EU. The reshuffle at the top offers an opportunity for the EU and its member states to re-engage Ankara in order to prevent further drift. This brief argues that the EU needs to focus on pragmatic co-operation and open key chapters in the accession talks while making sure its policies and actions do not feed into the narratives of external threat that have gained prominence in Turkish politics.
The euro crisis has not killed enlargement but it is relegating the region to the outermost circ... more The euro crisis has not killed enlargement but it is relegating the region to the outermost circle in a multi-speed Europe – the periphery of the periphery. With Balkan economies beset by low or negative growth rates and rising unemployment, it has exposed the limits of the EU’s growth model and undermined the narrative of convergence between the EU
The article investigates the institutional and policy choices regarding the EU’s rela- tions with... more The article investigates the institutional and policy choices regarding the EU’s rela- tions with the countries and regions covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). It juxtaposes the notion of special relationship inaugurated by the Lisbon Treaty to three models for organizing relations with proximate countries: pre- accession, the European Economic Area (EEA) and association. The convergence- access paradigm is found to be the basic pillar of the EU approach. The article brings in a series of dilemmas concerning the design and the implementation of the ENP as well as perceptions from selected partner countries. As a potential way to manage tensions and dilemmas inherent in the EU strategy, the article proposes an altogether novel dimension: decentred integration geared towards polity-building that could partially delink convergence and access. The last section maps out four scenarios for the future directions of the ENP that cover the whole continuum from piecemeal enhancement of the policy to the creation of a European Partnership Area under- pinned by a new tier of institutions.
Regionalism has become one of the prevailing trends in world politics nowadays. Regions are seen ... more Regionalism has become one of the prevailing trends in world politics nowadays. Regions are seen as proceeding from socio-economic linkages, but also from shared notions of belonging. There are two approaches to regional identity. The first one focuses on common culture, language, historical experience. The second approach views regions as a sort of ‘imagined community’ or political constructs. The paper takes up the latter view and argues that the refdefinition of regional identity exemplified by the substitution of the term ‘Balkans’ with ‘South East Europe’ played a crucial role in the cooperation initiatives since the mid-1990s. It explores schemes such as the South Eastern European Cooperation Process (SEECP) and the Stability Pact for South East Europe to highlighting two important conclusions. First, the South East European project has been an attempt to overcome the area’s marginalisation vis-à-vis the West. Second, the emergence of a coherent regional identity was inhibited by the impossibility to draw clear-cut borders in order to demarcate South East Europe.
Collection of essays written in the run-up to the June 2011 parliamentary elections.
TURKEY’S M... more Collection of essays written in the run-up to the June 2011 parliamentary elections.
TURKEY’S MULTIPLE IDENTITIES 15 1. Mustafa Akyol 17 Who are the Turks? 2. Ays ̧e Kadıog ̆lu and Orhan Mirog ̆lu 23 From oblivion to memory: Skeletons in the Turkish republican closet CHALLENGES FOR DEMOCRATIC CONSOLIDATION 29 3. S ̧ahin Alpay 31 Will Turkey veer towards authoritarianism without the EU anchor? 4. Hakan Altinay 37 Moving parts 5. Osman Baydemir 43 The “we know best” democracy FOREIGN POLICY: CONTINUITY AND CHANGE 49 6. Ibrahim Kalın 51 Turkish foreign policy in 2011: an assessment 7. Atila Eralp and Zerrin Torun 57 Turkey-EU relations: just another impasse? 8. Suat Kınıklıog ̆lu 63 Turkey’s neighbourhood policy: reintegration into multiple regions 9. Soli Özel 69 The AKP’s foreign policy in context
AFTERWORD 75 Ivan Krastev 77 Tentative conclusions of a fascinated ignorant
Located at the very heart of the Balkans, the Republic of Macedonia has a rich and turbulent hist... more Located at the very heart of the Balkans, the Republic of Macedonia has a rich and turbulent history, which reflects all the complexities of the region's past and present-day politics. In the late 19th and the early 20th century, it became the focal point of competition by the fledgling Balkan nation-states over the declining Ottoman Empire's European possessions. Late Ottoman Macedonia was a region, which impressed the external observer with its diversity: ethnic, religious, linguistic, clannish, and territorial identities all overlapped in a complex and puzzling mosaic. It is this diversity that has led to the Macedonian Question of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and continues to raise questions today.
The Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Macedonia traces the key political, socio-economic, and cultural developments in the multiethnic mosaic that is Republic of Macedonia following its secession from the Yugoslav federation in the autumn of 1991. It also surveys often overlooked topics, such as the social transformations underwent in the course of the 20th century and during the decades of socialism, as well as the recent debates about historical memory and roots of the Slav Macedonian nation. Complete with a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over 400 hundred cross-referenced dictionary entries, this reference provides a rich account of the history, present-day politics, and society of the Republic of Macedonia.
Regional cooperation has become a distinctive feature of Balkan politics, an area known for turbu... more Regional cooperation has become a distinctive feature of Balkan politics, an area known for turbulence and ethnic conflict. Since the war in Kosovo a network of multilateral institutions, from the Regional Cooperation Council to the Energy Community, have reshaped relations between states in wider South East Europe (the Western Balkans, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Turkey, Moldova). The disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s was followed by a decade of political normalization, economic growth and gradual integration into Western institutions and at the regional level. Exploring the origins and dynamics of this change, this book highlights the transformative power of the EU along with other international actors such as NATO, the US and the international financial Institutions. It highlights the historical roots of the process by looking at the Balkans' identity as a periphery of Western Europe, exposed to waves of institutional and ideological borrowings since the early 19th century.
The identity of any nation-state is inextricably linked with its borders and frontiers. Borders c... more The identity of any nation-state is inextricably linked with its borders and frontiers. Borders connect nations and sustain notions of social cohesion. Yet they are also the sites of division, fragmentation and political conflict. This ambitious study encompasses North Africa, the Middle East, and South and South East Europe to examine the emergence of state borders and polarised identities in the Mediterranean. The authors look at the impact of political boundaries upon the region, along with pressures from European and economic integration, the resurgence of nationalism, and refugee and security concerns. The authors explore the politics of memory, and ask whether echoes from the imperial past - Ottoman and colonial - could provide the basis for conflict resolution, region-building and economic integration.
This volume brings together young researchers in an interdisciplinary study of Greek interaction ... more This volume brings together young researchers in an interdisciplinary study of Greek interaction with other Balkan states over the past two hundred years. The thirteen chapters of the volume reflect the diversity of a long and complex relationship between Greece and its Balkan neighbours. They thus shed refreshing light on its persistent attributes of opportunity and risk, attraction and enmity, exchange and exclusion, through exploration of historical, anthropological, literary, political and economic perspectives.
The complex relationship between Russia and Turkey is not easy to label. On the one hand, the two... more The complex relationship between Russia and Turkey is not easy to label. On the one hand, the two countries have been historical rivals and, arguably, their interests still clash in the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East. On the other hand, economic ties, particularly concerning energy, have grown over the past two decades to inextricably bind the two. It is also about the personalities in power. Critics liken the illiberal ways of President Tayyip Erdogan – including the conspiracy mind-set of blaming dissent at home on foreign meddling – to those of Vladimir Putin.1 Turkey's strained relations with its Western partners, an outcome of the stalled EU accession negotiations and the authoritarianism creeping into its domestic politics, have, no doubt, nudged it closer to Russia. Turkey, a pivotal NATO ally, has kept by and large out of the Ukraine crisis, refusing to join the US and EU sanctions. What is more, Putin used his visit to Ankara in early December 2014 to rebuff the EU by scrapping the South Stream gas pipeline and launch an alternative link to Turkey – "Turkish Stream
The article examines the power as well as the limits of the EU’s leverage on domestic governance ... more The article examines the power as well as the limits of the EU’s leverage on domestic governance in candidate countries from Eastern Europe through the cases of Bulgaria and Romania. It argues that the reasons for Bulgaria and Romania’s lagging behind in meeting the EU accession criteria have to do with a set of domestic factors. Powerful veto players and institutional structures embedded in the domestic sociopolitical context have obstructed reform in the sectors most susceptible to political influence and least likely to be reformed without external pressure. The EU’s leverage helps explain why the two laggards did succeed in breaking the vicious cir- cle of semireforms and in ultimately qualifying for EU membership. The EU conditionality has tilted the political balance in favour of a consensus on pro-EU reforms, but before these reforms can take root, they need to gen- erate further demand ‘from below.’
Turkey is sliding back on its democratisation path. During the conservative Justice and Developm... more Turkey is sliding back on its democratisation path. During the conservative Justice and Development Party’s third term in power, majoritarianism has triumphed over a drive to broaden pluralism and entrench the rule of law. The concentration of power in the hands of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the prevalence of the executive over the judicial branch, flawed media, and unabating polarisation in political life are all symptoms of democratic deadlock. Having turned its back on Turkey, the EU has seen its leverage plummet; Turkey itself has become selective when it comes to membership-oriented reforms. As the country elects a new president in August, it faces a host of challenges: slowing growth and financial volatility, the peace process with the PKK, and an increasingly unstable regional environment. Though Turkey is largely in an introverted mood, those challenges underscore the significance of its foreign partners, not least the EU. The reshuffle at the top offers an opportunity for the EU and its member states to re-engage Ankara in order to prevent further drift. This brief argues that the EU needs to focus on pragmatic co-operation and open key chapters in the accession talks while making sure its policies and actions do not feed into the narratives of external threat that have gained prominence in Turkish politics.
The euro crisis has not killed enlargement but it is relegating the region to the outermost circ... more The euro crisis has not killed enlargement but it is relegating the region to the outermost circle in a multi-speed Europe – the periphery of the periphery. With Balkan economies beset by low or negative growth rates and rising unemployment, it has exposed the limits of the EU’s growth model and undermined the narrative of convergence between the EU
The article investigates the institutional and policy choices regarding the EU’s rela- tions with... more The article investigates the institutional and policy choices regarding the EU’s rela- tions with the countries and regions covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). It juxtaposes the notion of special relationship inaugurated by the Lisbon Treaty to three models for organizing relations with proximate countries: pre- accession, the European Economic Area (EEA) and association. The convergence- access paradigm is found to be the basic pillar of the EU approach. The article brings in a series of dilemmas concerning the design and the implementation of the ENP as well as perceptions from selected partner countries. As a potential way to manage tensions and dilemmas inherent in the EU strategy, the article proposes an altogether novel dimension: decentred integration geared towards polity-building that could partially delink convergence and access. The last section maps out four scenarios for the future directions of the ENP that cover the whole continuum from piecemeal enhancement of the policy to the creation of a European Partnership Area under- pinned by a new tier of institutions.
Regionalism has become one of the prevailing trends in world politics nowadays. Regions are seen ... more Regionalism has become one of the prevailing trends in world politics nowadays. Regions are seen as proceeding from socio-economic linkages, but also from shared notions of belonging. There are two approaches to regional identity. The first one focuses on common culture, language, historical experience. The second approach views regions as a sort of ‘imagined community’ or political constructs. The paper takes up the latter view and argues that the refdefinition of regional identity exemplified by the substitution of the term ‘Balkans’ with ‘South East Europe’ played a crucial role in the cooperation initiatives since the mid-1990s. It explores schemes such as the South Eastern European Cooperation Process (SEECP) and the Stability Pact for South East Europe to highlighting two important conclusions. First, the South East European project has been an attempt to overcome the area’s marginalisation vis-à-vis the West. Second, the emergence of a coherent regional identity was inhibited by the impossibility to draw clear-cut borders in order to demarcate South East Europe.
Collection of essays written in the run-up to the June 2011 parliamentary elections.
TURKEY’S M... more Collection of essays written in the run-up to the June 2011 parliamentary elections.
TURKEY’S MULTIPLE IDENTITIES 15 1. Mustafa Akyol 17 Who are the Turks? 2. Ays ̧e Kadıog ̆lu and Orhan Mirog ̆lu 23 From oblivion to memory: Skeletons in the Turkish republican closet CHALLENGES FOR DEMOCRATIC CONSOLIDATION 29 3. S ̧ahin Alpay 31 Will Turkey veer towards authoritarianism without the EU anchor? 4. Hakan Altinay 37 Moving parts 5. Osman Baydemir 43 The “we know best” democracy FOREIGN POLICY: CONTINUITY AND CHANGE 49 6. Ibrahim Kalın 51 Turkish foreign policy in 2011: an assessment 7. Atila Eralp and Zerrin Torun 57 Turkey-EU relations: just another impasse? 8. Suat Kınıklıog ̆lu 63 Turkey’s neighbourhood policy: reintegration into multiple regions 9. Soli Özel 69 The AKP’s foreign policy in context
AFTERWORD 75 Ivan Krastev 77 Tentative conclusions of a fascinated ignorant
Located at the very heart of the Balkans, the Republic of Macedonia has a rich and turbulent hist... more Located at the very heart of the Balkans, the Republic of Macedonia has a rich and turbulent history, which reflects all the complexities of the region's past and present-day politics. In the late 19th and the early 20th century, it became the focal point of competition by the fledgling Balkan nation-states over the declining Ottoman Empire's European possessions. Late Ottoman Macedonia was a region, which impressed the external observer with its diversity: ethnic, religious, linguistic, clannish, and territorial identities all overlapped in a complex and puzzling mosaic. It is this diversity that has led to the Macedonian Question of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and continues to raise questions today.
The Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Macedonia traces the key political, socio-economic, and cultural developments in the multiethnic mosaic that is Republic of Macedonia following its secession from the Yugoslav federation in the autumn of 1991. It also surveys often overlooked topics, such as the social transformations underwent in the course of the 20th century and during the decades of socialism, as well as the recent debates about historical memory and roots of the Slav Macedonian nation. Complete with a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over 400 hundred cross-referenced dictionary entries, this reference provides a rich account of the history, present-day politics, and society of the Republic of Macedonia.
Regional cooperation has become a distinctive feature of Balkan politics, an area known for turbu... more Regional cooperation has become a distinctive feature of Balkan politics, an area known for turbulence and ethnic conflict. Since the war in Kosovo a network of multilateral institutions, from the Regional Cooperation Council to the Energy Community, have reshaped relations between states in wider South East Europe (the Western Balkans, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Turkey, Moldova). The disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s was followed by a decade of political normalization, economic growth and gradual integration into Western institutions and at the regional level. Exploring the origins and dynamics of this change, this book highlights the transformative power of the EU along with other international actors such as NATO, the US and the international financial Institutions. It highlights the historical roots of the process by looking at the Balkans' identity as a periphery of Western Europe, exposed to waves of institutional and ideological borrowings since the early 19th century.
The identity of any nation-state is inextricably linked with its borders and frontiers. Borders c... more The identity of any nation-state is inextricably linked with its borders and frontiers. Borders connect nations and sustain notions of social cohesion. Yet they are also the sites of division, fragmentation and political conflict. This ambitious study encompasses North Africa, the Middle East, and South and South East Europe to examine the emergence of state borders and polarised identities in the Mediterranean. The authors look at the impact of political boundaries upon the region, along with pressures from European and economic integration, the resurgence of nationalism, and refugee and security concerns. The authors explore the politics of memory, and ask whether echoes from the imperial past - Ottoman and colonial - could provide the basis for conflict resolution, region-building and economic integration.
This volume brings together young researchers in an interdisciplinary study of Greek interaction ... more This volume brings together young researchers in an interdisciplinary study of Greek interaction with other Balkan states over the past two hundred years. The thirteen chapters of the volume reflect the diversity of a long and complex relationship between Greece and its Balkan neighbours. They thus shed refreshing light on its persistent attributes of opportunity and risk, attraction and enmity, exchange and exclusion, through exploration of historical, anthropological, literary, political and economic perspectives.
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Papers by Dimitar Bechev
As the country elects a new president in August, it faces a host of challenges: slowing growth and financial volatility, the peace process with the PKK, and an increasingly unstable regional environment. Though Turkey is largely in an introverted mood, those challenges underscore the significance of its foreign partners, not least the EU. The reshuffle at the top offers an opportunity for the EU and its member states to re-engage Ankara in order to prevent further drift. This brief argues that the EU needs to focus on pragmatic co-operation and open key chapters in the accession talks while making sure its policies and actions do not feed into the narratives of external threat that have gained prominence in Turkish politics.
TURKEY’S MULTIPLE IDENTITIES 15
1. Mustafa Akyol 17
Who are the Turks?
2. Ays ̧e Kadıog ̆lu and Orhan Mirog ̆lu 23
From oblivion to memory: Skeletons in the Turkish republican closet
CHALLENGES FOR DEMOCRATIC CONSOLIDATION 29
3. S ̧ahin Alpay 31
Will Turkey veer towards authoritarianism
without the EU anchor?
4. Hakan Altinay 37
Moving parts
5. Osman Baydemir 43
The “we know best” democracy
FOREIGN POLICY: CONTINUITY AND CHANGE 49
6. Ibrahim Kalın 51
Turkish foreign policy in 2011: an assessment
7. Atila Eralp and Zerrin Torun 57
Turkey-EU relations: just another impasse?
8. Suat Kınıklıog ̆lu 63
Turkey’s neighbourhood policy: reintegration
into multiple regions
9. Soli Özel 69
The AKP’s foreign policy in context
AFTERWORD 75 Ivan Krastev 77
Tentative conclusions of a fascinated ignorant
Books by Dimitar Bechev
The Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Macedonia traces the key political, socio-economic, and cultural developments in the multiethnic mosaic that is Republic of Macedonia following its secession from the Yugoslav federation in the autumn of 1991. It also surveys often overlooked topics, such as the social transformations underwent in the course of the 20th century and during the decades of socialism, as well as the recent debates about historical memory and roots of the Slav Macedonian nation. Complete with a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over 400 hundred cross-referenced dictionary entries, this reference provides a rich account of the history, present-day politics, and society of the Republic of Macedonia.
As the country elects a new president in August, it faces a host of challenges: slowing growth and financial volatility, the peace process with the PKK, and an increasingly unstable regional environment. Though Turkey is largely in an introverted mood, those challenges underscore the significance of its foreign partners, not least the EU. The reshuffle at the top offers an opportunity for the EU and its member states to re-engage Ankara in order to prevent further drift. This brief argues that the EU needs to focus on pragmatic co-operation and open key chapters in the accession talks while making sure its policies and actions do not feed into the narratives of external threat that have gained prominence in Turkish politics.
TURKEY’S MULTIPLE IDENTITIES 15
1. Mustafa Akyol 17
Who are the Turks?
2. Ays ̧e Kadıog ̆lu and Orhan Mirog ̆lu 23
From oblivion to memory: Skeletons in the Turkish republican closet
CHALLENGES FOR DEMOCRATIC CONSOLIDATION 29
3. S ̧ahin Alpay 31
Will Turkey veer towards authoritarianism
without the EU anchor?
4. Hakan Altinay 37
Moving parts
5. Osman Baydemir 43
The “we know best” democracy
FOREIGN POLICY: CONTINUITY AND CHANGE 49
6. Ibrahim Kalın 51
Turkish foreign policy in 2011: an assessment
7. Atila Eralp and Zerrin Torun 57
Turkey-EU relations: just another impasse?
8. Suat Kınıklıog ̆lu 63
Turkey’s neighbourhood policy: reintegration
into multiple regions
9. Soli Özel 69
The AKP’s foreign policy in context
AFTERWORD 75 Ivan Krastev 77
Tentative conclusions of a fascinated ignorant
The Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Macedonia traces the key political, socio-economic, and cultural developments in the multiethnic mosaic that is Republic of Macedonia following its secession from the Yugoslav federation in the autumn of 1991. It also surveys often overlooked topics, such as the social transformations underwent in the course of the 20th century and during the decades of socialism, as well as the recent debates about historical memory and roots of the Slav Macedonian nation. Complete with a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over 400 hundred cross-referenced dictionary entries, this reference provides a rich account of the history, present-day politics, and society of the Republic of Macedonia.