Turkey and the European Union (EU)

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Turkey's potential membership in the European Union (EU) underscores its role in the region and throughout the international community, especially as Europe becomes increasingly Islamized and as the unrest in the Middle East remains at a boiling point. The author presents, in addition to the literature review, case studies of the continuing unrest between the Palestinians and Israelis and the Danish religious cartoon controversy featuring pictures of the Islamic prophet, as examples of Turkey's increasing importance in the region and in the global geopolitical sphere. The paper states that international observers believe that Turkey represents the West's best chances for securing a mediating influence in the region and for developing a cultural, political, religious and geographic buffer between themselves and the increasingly hostile nature of many factions in the Middle East. The paper includes several long quotations.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Methodology
Research Questions
Overview of the Study
Conceptualization
Case Studies
Palestine - Israel Conflict
Cartoon Controversy
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"For example, when the Western European Union was designated as the defense component of the EU by the Maastricht Treaty, which came into force in 1993, the intention was for the organization to serve as a bridge between the EU and NATO. Because membership in the WEU was restricted to EU member states only, opportunities for states to achieve "associate membership" and "associate partnership" in the EU were introduced in order to involve non-EU members in this emerging framework in an attempt to forge the WEU into a more inclusive and relevant organization."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ali, Omar. Crisis in the Arabian Gulf: An Independent Iraqi View. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1993.
• "A Rising Star: 80 Years after the Nation Took Its First Steps towards the West, and after False Starts along the Way, There Is a Sense That Turkey Is Once Again in Tune with the Spirit and Values of Its Time." (2005, November-December). Foreign Policy 151:2.
• Aras, Bulent. (2000). "Turkish Foreign Policy and Jerusalem: Toward a Societal Construction of Foreign Policy." Arab Studies Quarterly 22(4):31.
• Aydin, Mustafa and Kostas Ifantis. Turkish-Greek Relations: The Security Dilemma in the Aegean. Portland, OR: Frank Cass, 2004.
• Bates, Stephen and Martin Walker. (1998, December 2). "Analysis: Turkey: Bridge over troubled Waters: The Bosphorus Crossing Links Europe and Asia, yet Despite their Geopolitical Importance and Long Membership of NATO, the Turks Batter in Vain on Europe's Door." The Guardian (Manchester), 37.

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