Turkey has been a close Western partner for so long it is hard to imagine it ever being “lost.” Recent political and strategic developments, however, have endangered its Western and democratic orientation to a disconcerting degree. Rising anti-Americanism, deflated hopes for EU accession, civil-military tensions, a secular-religious divide, and ongoing terrorist threats have come together to destabilize Turkey’s political system and threaten its partnership with the West.
In Winning Turkey, Philip H. Gordon, and Omer Taspinar explain Turkey’s current crisis and the development of its relations with the United States and Europe. They present a realistic plan for improving those relations, keeping Turkey in the Western orbit and preventing it from slipping into either authoritarian or fundamentalist rule.
A positive, constructive relationship with Turkey has never been more important to Europe and the United States. Bordering Iraq, Iran, Syria and the Caucasus, Turkey also occupies the corridor between Western markets and the Caspian Sea energy reserves. A stable, Western-oriented Turkey en route toward EU membership would provide a growing market for exports, a source of needed labor, a positive influence on the Middle East, and a critical ally in the war on terror. A resentful, unstable, and inward-looking Turkey, on the other hand, would be a disaster not only for Turkey but for the West.
Winning Turkey presents a plan to restore the partnership between Turkey and the West. The authors advocate a “grand bargain” between Turkey and the Kurds, stronger support for liberalism and democracy, a renewed commitment to promote EU membership for Turkey, a historic compromise with Armenia, and new efforts to achieve a political settlement in Cyprus—all in an effort to anchor Turkey in the West.