Published October 12, 2012 By Erin Crandell Briefing CCPPR12TK Report available in PDF and Flash formats

Turkey finds itself at a crossroads both geographically and politically, looking both East and West. Though its drive to join the European Union has been somewhat stalled, it nevertheless finds itself deeply connected to Europe. At the same time, it has become a diplomatic powerhouse within the Middle East. It also finds itself at a religious crossroads, as a large, yet broadly secular, Muslim state, a position that has been held since the founding of the Republic by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. For much of the last century, Turkey was ruled with a strong influence from the military. However, this influence has waned recently and Turkey has transitioned into a strong democratic state.

Turkey has managed to weather both the economic crisis in neighboring Europe and the political instability coming from the Middle East. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development (A.K.) Party swept the parliamentary elections in June 2011 and have continued to loosen the secularism of Atatürk’s Republic. The Erdogan government has also begun to move towards a stronger diplomatic presence in Middle Eastern affairs which has seen some diplomatic clashes and a more strained relations with Israel and a rapidly escalating conflict with neighboring Syria. Turkey has taken a strong stance against the Assad regime of Syria, providing safe haven to Syrian refugees and increasing engaging in heated rhetoric with its neighbor, as well as beefing up its military presence on the border.

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