Turkey: identity politics and reticent Europeanisation

Abstract

Turkey constitutes a particularly challenging case with regard to Europeanisation studies as well as the importance of identity politics in its relations to the European Union (EU). This chapter considers the tensions between values and interests in the Turkey-EU relationship, using a longitudinal method. It addresses recent developments in Turkey-EU relations that go beyond bilateralism, underscoring the salience of factors such as migration and instability in the Middle East as added variables to this relationship. The chapter introduces EU-Turkey relations by analysing some of the main patterns of Turkey's identity politics that have contributed to its domestic as well as international political outlook since the foundation of the Republic. It provides a theoretical discussion on Europeanisation and applies this framework to accession countries through the prism of conditionality and the specific role of candidate countries.