The relationship between Turkey and the European Union (EU) represents a wide spectrum of concerns and motives relevant to both and carves the path for dense political and economic transformations in both political entities, directly impacting and revolutionizing the socio-cultural milieu and laying basis for fundamental movement in ideological and existential determinations outlining aims and ambitions central to both at all levels of their positioning as global and international actors which in turn directly influences internal politics and decision making processes. The association between the two entities is a direct determinant of the increasingly relevant concept of regionalism wherein mutual interests drive political and economic alignments amongst states characterized by integration into regions. Regionalism has become increasingly popular as states have realized that their interests are more closely bound up with contiguous states, that their interactions are more frequent with closer neighbors, and that regional coordination is an effective method of protecting their interests and promoting milieu goals at the global level. However, the boundaries of these regions, and their criteria for membership and exclusion, seldom occur naturally and obviously. The patterns of congruence, complementarity and connection between states tend to overlap, complicating the task of defining a regional configuration in which members' interactions are more intense and interests more convergent than between members and non-members. Emphasis on different communities of interests or patterns of interaction will produce different regional configurations. So the membership of the region is determined by its defining criteria, or those communit... ... middle of paper ... ...ture as much as the economy, and are based on the logic that the more culturally similar Turkey becomes to Europe Works Cited • Yesilada, Birol. (2002). “Turkey’s Candidacy for EU Membership”. Middle East Journal, Vol. 56. No. 1. Publisher: Middle East Institute. • International Crisis Group. 2007. Europe Report No. 184. “Turkey and Europe: The Way Ahead” • Wesley, Michael. (1997). “The politics of exclusion: Australia, Turkey and definitions of Regionalism”. The Pacific Review. • Commission of the European Communities, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament: Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2009-2010, Annex 1. (Brussels: Official Publications of the European Communities, 2009) • Commission of the European Communities, Regular Report: Turkey 1999, Annex 1. (Brussels: Official Publications of the European Communities, 1999)
In the core of the debate about the possibility of turkey to be a member state of the EU stand the question who can be considered to be European. Morrison follows an academic debate, and analyze the question of Europe’s identity with the help of two compete definitions – ‘thin’ and ‘thick’. The ‘thin’ definition marks the European Identity by “a set of economic, institutional and legal principles, including the rule of law, democracy, human rights and secular governess.” According to that definition, the criteria of being European is only the willingness and ability to follow the civil norms and laws. However, as opposed to the ‘thin’ definition, the ‘thick’ definition identify Europeans as having a common characteristic derives from a shared history and culture. According to that definition, no one - people or states can become Europeans it is matter of birth into
Redmond, J. (2007). Turkey and the European Union:troubled European or European trouble? International Affairs, 305-317.
Thomassen, J. 2009. The Legitimacy of the European Union after Enlargement. In: Thomassen, J. Eds. The Legitimacy of the European Union after Enlargement. New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 67-86.
The country of Turkey, as we know it, has only come about in the last 80 years or so. Before this time, the land of present day Turkey was referred to as Anatolia. Anatolia is considered the bridge that connects the Middle East to Europe. Despite years of occupation by differing nations, the area of present day Turkey has held some consistency and continuity. This continuity is possible because even though many count...
Turkey’s involvement in the World War 1 provided cover for extreme elements of the very nationalistic Young Turks regime to carry ...
The European Union, or E.U., has existed in its modern form since it was formed by the signing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993. Since then, fifteen countries have joined the E.U., increasing the number of member countries to 27. Countries must meet strict standards when applying for membership to the E.U., as there are many factors which determine whether their request for membership is approved or denied. Religion is not specified to be one of these factors, but even so it appears to be a detrimental factor in the acceptance of Turkey into the E.U. Turkey is 99.8 percent Muslim and has applied for admission into the E.U. (The World Factbook).
At present there are twenty-eight member states within the European Union, most of which play a crucial part in the unions overall success. Although during the past decade five countries have made an application to become EU members, none have waited to join as long as Turkey has. Turkey have been applicants to join the European Union since 1987 and although many believe that they have proven they are stable and could bring positives to Europe, there are still those who think otherwise. This essay will explore whether or not Turkey should be allowed to join the EU or has their past and current reputation began to hinder this. This essay will also discuss the public and political disputes surrounding the matter.
Peseka News Agency. (2012, March 31). Cyprus won't open EU accession chapters for Turkey. Nicosia, Cyprus, EU.
The European Union stands on the threshold of unparalleled change over the coming years. The next waves of enlargement will be unprecedented in nature and continental in scale. This process has gained so much political momentum that it is now irreversible.
Turkey’s history stretches back at least 40,000 years. The Ottoman Empire was one of the enduring and extensive Empires of the history. Islam and Islamic organizations were tolerating the Ottoman Empire. It spread over the Eastern Mediterranean from the Byzantine Empire. During Suleiman the Magnificent (5120-66) ruling it was at its height, at that time it increased and took over the Balkans, Hungary, and borders of Vienna. The Empire started to weaken after it’s conquer at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 and it started to lose its navy. That was the begging of its weakening after 400 years of power in World War I. Modern Turkey has inherited secularism from the Islamic Ottoman Empire. The government came out with a plan to banish and disseminate
Cicek, Kemal. “The Cambridge History of Turkey. Volume 3: The Later Ottoman Empire, 1603-1839.” Journal of the Economic &Social History of the Orient 52, no.1 (2009): 153-158. EBSCO.
...fects the world today. The modern state of Turkey now exists in the old Ottoman stronghold of Anatolia, still using the same flag and honoring the Empire that came before it. It is clear however that the largest consequence for Europe following the fall of the Ottoman Empire was increased influence in the Middle East that had not been introduced to the Industrial Revolution unlike much of Europe. While the Europeans hoped they could enter this new region and begin to change it, the culture of the area proved too difficult to effectively make any permanent change possible. The fall of the Ottoman Empire had many long term consequences for Europe, but the most long lasting change has been the creation of modern day Turkey, which has been a long lasting ally of the European Union and not the constant threat to Europe that the Ottoman Empire had been for so many years.
Europe has a history of war and conflict that predates living memory and the idea of a united Europe is something that appears repeatedly in that history. Hitler, Napoleon, and the many Roman Emperors all sought a united Europe. Their quests although in many ways motivated by a horrifying desire for power sparked the minds of philosophers and other political thinkers to imagine Europe united in harmony and peace despite national differences. Today we have the European Union which is quite unique. After the horrors, bloodshed, and economic disaster of the twentieth century, in a desire for peace and harmony and economic and political prosperity twenty-seven states have limited their national sovereignty.2 With national interests and ambition still in mind these countries see the European Union and supranational governance and the benefits of peace and prosperity therein as something worthwhile. However, in the history of European integration there has been much conflict and Euroskepticism. Some see unity in diversity and diversity in unity as impossible, and the existence of differentiation in the EU as highly problematic. However, differentiation in the European Union’s integration process is not the hindrance it is often defined as, rather it creates further cooperation in Europe bringing the European Union closer to its objectives of peace, and economic and political growth, resulting in a more effective and efficient bureaucracy. Differentiation in the EU’s integration process has created more successful integration as it allows the nations who wish t...
Erdogan came to Ankara under heavy suspicion due to his past in radical Islamist politics. But as mayor of ungovernable Istanbul he won grudging praise from political opponents for his hard work on civic issues and muted Islamic rhetoric. As Prime Minister he has focused on bread-and-butter issues, leading with gusto the country’s drive to join the European Union.
The enlargement of the European Union (EU) in 2004 and 2007 has been termed as the largest single expansion of the EU with a total of 12 new member states – bringing the number of members to 27 – and more than 77 million citizens joining the Commission (Murphy 2006, Neueder 2003, Ross 2011). A majority of the new member states in this enlargement are from the eastern part of the continent and were countries that had just emerged from communist economies (EC 2009, Ross 2011), although overall, the enlargement also saw new member states from very different economic, social and political compared to that of the old member states (EC 2009, Ross 2011). This enlargement was also a historical significance in European history, for it saw the reunification of Europe since the Cold War in a world of increasing globalization (EC 2009, Mulle et al. 2013, Ross 2011). For that, overall, this enlargement is considered by many to have been a great success for the EU and its citizens but it is not without its problems and challenges (EC 2009, Mulle et al. 2013, Ross 2011). This essay will thus examine the impact of the 2004/2007 enlargements from two perspectives: firstly, the impact of the enlargements on the EU as a whole, and thereafter, how the enlargements have affected the new member states that were acceded during the 2004/2007 periods. Included in the essay will be the extent of their integration into the EU and how being a part of the Commission has contributed to their development as nation states. Following that, this essay will then evaluate the overall success of the enlargement process and whether the EU or the new member states have both benefited from the accessions or whether the enlargement has only proven advantageous to one th...