Turkey
Reports on Turkey See all →
Opinion: Scenarios for Turkey’s role in NATO
Turkey’s political behavior poses problems for NATO, of which it is an important member. Until recently, the country was a formidable partner of the Western alliance in its confrontation with the Soviet Union and a buffer against threats from the Middle East. Turkey still fields the alliance’s second-largest army, after the U.S., but its national interests in the region are no longer aligned with U.S. and European plans. This dissonance poses political, strategic and operational dilemmas to ponder in the NATO headquarters in Europe and in the Pentagon.
The perpetual war
The truce brokered by Turkey and Russia in northwestern Syria has prevented a slaughter of the remnants of the Syrian opposition forces and scores of hapless civilians. This highlights the pragmatic attitudes of the two powers that have assumed key roles in the Syria conflict. The danger of a larger ...
Iran’s rapprochement with Azerbaijan opens dangerous dynamics
The relentless rise of Iran is also making itself felt in the South Caucasus, a region ridden by border conflicts and great-power rivalry. The inroad is Azerbaijan. The small but oil-rich Caspian Sea state with a border issue with a neighbor is being intensely courted by Tehran and Saudi Arabia, ...
GIS Dossier: Turkey and the Middle East
Ankara is still groping for the right policy mix in dealing with complex challenges to Turkey’s vital interests in the Middle East, North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea region. A paradigm change, however, diverting its geopolitical attention away from Europe and NATO and toward its historic neighborhood, is ...
GIS Dossier: Turkey and Europe
Europe can no longer take Turkey for granted or ignore its vital interests. Many in the West are rightfully displeased with the weakening of important institutions that the country has seen under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but realpolitik dictates cooperation in mutual interest. Europe and Turkey are ...
