The EU and Turkey. A glittering prize or a millstone?

Abstract:

The prospect of Turkey being welcomed into membership of the European Union is for many a fearful one. This work seeks to ventilate the debate at a time when both Europe and Turkey are experiencing a period of unprecedented transformation.

The work is comprised of a selection of essays by a panel of international specialists, grouped under eight headings. The first part gives the historical background. Part two addresses politics with two essays, one covering the period from the Özal years to the present day, and the other the interaction between Islam, politics and democracy in Turkey. The third part covers economics. The first essay looks at the Turkish economy before the EU accession talks and comments on the determination to build a democratic society and a market economy in a region that has experienced continuous upheaval. The Turkish financial sector is the focus of the second essay, particularly the series of banking crises and the changes they brought about. Part four, 'Society', has contributions on the thorny issues of the rule of law, the importance of a civil society, and the role of women in Turkish society. Part five addresses the question of security with commentary on Turkey's geopolitical and geostrategical importance to the West during the Cold War and subsequently in the Iraq conflict. Part six features two essays, one offering a view on the future of US-Turkish relations, and the other a Greek view on Turkey's European ambitions - which links well with the next section, which is comprised of an essay on the Cyprus problem. The work closes with a contribution from Professor Norman Stone, Professor of International Relations at Bilkent University, Ankara - 'Endnote: Turkey and Europe'.

The book will interest scholars and students of European Union studies, European enlargement, researchers and policy makers engaged in Europe's relations with the Islamic world.

Michael Lake was EU Ambassador in Turkey from 1991 to 1998.