Mediterranean Quarterly 2007 18(4):131-148; DOI:10.1215/10474552-2007-029
Duke University Press
Turkey's Constraining Position on Western Reform Initiatives in the Middle East
Aysegul Sever
Aysegul Sever is associate professor of political science and international relations at Marmara University, Istanbul.
This essay points out that Turkey.s long.standing democratization steps and its long.running relations with the West can portray Turkey as an appropriate candidate to contribute to any democratization process or initiative in the region whether be it through a Western.originated project or otherwise. Having said that, Turkey.s own domestic shortcomings, like the Kurdish/PKK issue, the ambivilance toward the implementation of secularism in the country, its recently marked vicissitudes in its relations with the EU and the US, the unfavorable regional circumstances such as the worsening conditions in Iraq, and the deepening problems in the Palestinian.Israeli debacle, currently constrain Turkey.s potential to serve the Middle East region in the capacity of soft.security provider by means of creating inspration for democratization and socioeconomic developments.

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Copyright 2007 by Mediterranean Affairs, Inc.