By Firdevs Robinson.

FPC Senior Research Associate Firdevs Robinson gives a detailed and wide ranging account of the current challenges facing the long-running attempts to resolve the division and separation of Cyprus. She argues that unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is loosing hope that meaningful progress will be made in the near future and that as the Republic of Cyprus (Greek Cyprus) moves towards holding the EU Presidency, Brussels is no longer seen by the TRNC as a positive actor. She also draws attention to the growing rifts between the TRNC and Turkey on cultural and political lines, while exploring the current phase of tensions between Greek Cyprus and Turkey.

Download FPC Briefing: Cyprus: One step forward, two steps back (330 kilobyte PDF)

By Firdevs Robinson.

On 23rd February 2012, a major conference in London thrust Somalia back into the international spotlight.

For the past 21 years, Somalia has been one of the world's worst failed states with chronic famine, violence and piracy. The country has been without a functioning government for decades. Since 2006, parts of the country have been controlled by the militant Islamist group Al-Shabab, which pledged its allegiance to al-Qaeda in 2010. The European Union-backed military force, known as ANISOM, managed to push Al Shabab out of Mogadishu in recent months, considerably weakening the radical group but the al-Qaida sponsored al-Shabab militia still controls vast areas of Somalia. The largely ineffective Transitional Federal Government's mandate is coming to an end in August 2012 and the next six-months are seen as a critical period for Somalia. In fact, recovering from the regional crisis of various kinds, the whole of Horn of Africa will be facing a challenging year.

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By Firdevs Robinson.

FPC Senior Research Associate gives her analysis of Turkey's role on the international stage and as a leading player in the evolving map of the Middle East. She notes Turkey's enhanced prestige but assesses the on going problems with Syria, France, Cyprus and the challenges it faces at home.

Download FPC Briefing: Turkey – Role Model or Regional Bully? (420 kilobyte PDF)

By Marc Herzog.

FPC Research Associate Marc Herzog explores the development of Turkey's Foreign Policy and its response to the Arab Spring, setting out the challenges faced and those still to come.

Download FPC Briefing: Weathering the crazy seasons (310 kilobyte PDF)

By Firdevs Robinson. Source: Public Service Europe

As intractable conflicts go, Turkey's Kurdish problem has been a very costly one - both in human lives and the damage it has inflicted on country's political, economic and social development. More recently, with Kurdish insurgency opting for full-scale war and Turkey's leaders pledging "immense revenge" in return, this rapidly escalating crisis threatens to erode democratic gains. As well as being the most urgent and difficult issue for Turkey, the Kurdish conflict has been the biggest obstacle for further democratisation and reform. Yet, without fundamental reform, it will not go away.

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By Ziya Meral.

One thing was certain about the June 2011 elections in Turkey: AKP would win. Yet speculation over whether or not it would earn a greater share of the vote was rife, as was the forecasting of how many votes the renewed leadership of the leading secular opposition party, CHP (Republican People's Party) would attract, or whether the MHP (Nationalist Movement Party) would make the 10% threshold to enter parliament, or how many MPs the Kurdish BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) would have.

Download Turkey - Domestic challenges… by Ziya Meral (300 kilobyte PDF)

By Ziya Meral.

A remarkable series of public declarations by Turkish officials last weeks are causing increasing concern over the future of Turkish-EU relations and possible solutions to the Cyprus problem.

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By Prof Baskin Oran.

For the third paper in our Exploring Turkishness: Rights, Identity and the EU essay series, the Foreign Policy Centre is delighted to publish a new paper by leading Turkish academic and human rights campaigner, Professor Baskin Oran of Ankara University. In his new paper The Issue of "Turkish" and "Türkiyeli" he sets out his clear arguments for the creation of a new and inclusive identity that could cover all citizens of Turkey. (Translation provided by Deniz Ugur)

Download Exploring Turkishness: The Issue of Turkish and Türkiyeli (410 kilobyte PDF)

By Ziya Meral.

In the second paper as part of our Exploring Turkishness: Rights, Identity and the EU Essay Series Ziya Miral examines the state's approach to regulating religion and its role in defining Turkish identity. He draws attention to the problems this causes for Turkey's minority communities, with a particular focus on its non-Muslim minorities, and argues for an equal conception of citizenship that respects ethnic and religious diversity.

Download Exploring Turkishness: Laicite, Religion & SPDPD in Turkey (200 kilobyte PDF)

By Zeynep Dereli.

The Foreign Policy Centre is delighted to publish the first in a new series of short papers as part of a new project, Exploring Turkishness: Rights, Identity and the EU. In this first paper Senior Research Associate Zeynep Dereli makes the case for a broader, more inclusive approach to the idea of citizenship of Turkey, addressing some of the challenges facing Turkish women and minority groups.

Download Exploring Turkishness: Women and Minorities (510 kilobyte PDF)

By Marc Herzog.

Marc Herzog's new briefing gives a fascinating insight into the statistics behind Turkey's recent constitutional referendum and examines what the result means for Turkey's future.

Download FPC Briefing:Turkey's 2010 constitutional referendum (410 kilobyte PDF)

By Zeynep Dereli.

New Senior Research Associate Zeynep Dereli gives her take on how Turkey needs to reformulate its approach to energy to create an outward looking strategy where energy policy and foreign policy work together towards common economic and political goals.

Download FPC Briefing: Toward a Grander Turkish Energy Strategy (320 kilobyte PDF)

The full text of a speech by Mustafa Sarigül, leader of Turkey's Change Movement, to the Foreign Policy Centre's A new politics for Turkey? Sarýgül's challenge to the Turkish political establishment event held at the UK Houses of Parliament on March 22nd 2010.

Download FPC Speech by Mustafa Sarýgül (350 kilobyte PDF)

By Marc Herzog.

In the last decade, relations between Turkey and Russia have confidently surpassed their former cold-war hostility and undergone immense economic and geo-political improvement. FPC Research Associate Marc Herzog takes a look at the changing relationship between the old rivals and what it means for them and the wider world.

Download the article (220 kilobyte PDF)

By Adam Hug. Source: BN (Business Network) Magazine

(First published in BN Magazine http://www.bnmagazine.co.uk )

Joining the EU can be a tricky business, even if you are not a large and Islamic country straddling the continent's old geographic divide. Brussels is at serious risk of getting mud on the red carpet it rolled out to welcome Iceland, the once fiercely independent banking black hole, into the club, as President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson jeopardized the country's repayment deal with the UK and Netherlands over the collapse of the Icesave bank by putting it to a public vote in February. With the public less fearful of total economic collapse, the need to appease European member states seems less pressing, with polls showing that voters are likely to reject the deal and are not currently sold on joining the EU, if even if they are happy for negotiations to proceed.

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By Chris Phillips. Source: Guardian Comment is Free

To view original article visit: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/01/turkey-syria-friendship

Just over a decade ago, Turkey's army gathered on its southern border in anticipation of a war with Syria that was narrowly avoided. Just over a fortnight ago, the two neighbours signed accords allowing for visa-free passage between the two states. Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, now describes Turkey as Syria's best friend, while Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, publicly calls Syrians his brothers.

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By Marc Herzog.

New FPC Associate Mark Herzog gives an FPC briefing on the influence of Turkey's new Foreign Minister, Professor Ahmet Davutoðlu. The briefing looks at his influence behind the scenes in developing a new perspective for Turkish foreign policy based on his idea of Strategic Depth. Herzog examines Turkey's increasingly active role in the Middle East in addition to the development of long standing ties to Central Asia that he believes will help rather than hinder Turkey's long-term relationship with the EU.

Download Turkey's new Foreign Minister (160 kilobyte PDF)

By Adam Hug. Source: The Guardian Comment is Free

To comment on this article, please visit the FPC Blog: http://foreignpolicycentre.blogspot.com

Turkey's bid to join the EU offers Europe the choice of embracing its internal diversity or resorting to an insular idea of itself.

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By Dick Leonard. Source: European Voice

Anyone visiting Turkey after an interval of several years, as I did last week, cannot fail to be impressed by the visible evidence of the transformation of the Turkish economy. With its high annual growth rate (8 per cent in the past year), and its energetic, enterprising, and, above all, youthful workforce, it is catching up fast with the EU, and there can be little doubt that it will have overtaken the GDP per capita of several existing member states over the next decade.

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