An impasse in Turkey's relations with the European Union: the interplay of democratic lapse and external differentiated integration

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35859-3_3

Turkish foreign policy has revolved around gaining recognition as a European state with a decades-long association and a candidacy status for full accession to the European Union (EU). Despite the longest-standing association and extensive functional integration into the EU, Turkey’s relations with the Union are in turmoil. The withering away of the EU’s political anchor over Turkey, the demise of the liberal democratic order, and the emergence of alternatives to EU accession in the form of differentiated integration resulted in a reformulation of Turkey’s foreign policy toward the EU. This chapter focuses on the emerging political dynamics with an emphasis on the process of democratic breakdown and decline, and the differentiated integration in the European context with different regional countries engaged in multiple patterns with the EU. It provides a perspective on Turkey’s relations with the EU that emphasizes a liberal assessment of foreign policy.