Europe’s Neighborhood: Can Turkey Inspire?

Since the Arab Spring dawned, Turkey’s potential value as an inspiration for and facilitator of reform in the Middle East and North Africa had been a heated topic of discussion. Turkish civil society — which had played an important role in Turkey’s transformation — might be able to play a more consistent and active role than official Ankara in helping neighbors along the long-term path of building a culture of democracy. For this to materialize, there was a need for synergy between Turkish and European counterparts, as well as an informed demand from Turkey’s respective neighbors. The continuation of Turkey’s Europeanization journey would also be important for Turkey’s far-reaching contribution to positive change in the joint neighborhood of Turkey and the EU.