Turkey's EU candidacy and civil-military relations: challenges and prospects

Abstract

This article examines the Turkish case within the framework of theories that explain the impact of transnational factors upon civil-military relations in national contexts. The authors examine the impact of Turkey's European Union (EU) membership candidacy on civil-military relations in Turkey. More specifically, they elaborate on the challenges and prospects for more democratic civil-military relations in Turkey as triggered by the EU candidacy. In this regard, the article examines the notion of guardianship that characterizes the military's traditional role in Turkish politics and its institutional reflections.