The Impact of Turkey on the European Defence

DOI: 10.5176/2251-2403_PSSIR40

Authors: Esengul Ayaz

Abstract:

The paper analyzes the impact of Turkey on the new European security architecture that started to develop at the beginning of 1990s and became autonomous after 1998. It consists of three main parts. In the first part, Turkey`s role during the development process of ESDP is the focus and the significance of participating in ESDP for Turkey are explained. In the second part, Turkey`s positive impact on the ESDP operations through its military power and geostrategic position is examined. In the third part, Turkey`s negative effect on the ESDP due to its problematic policy towards the Cyprus issue is explained. Moreover, the paper provides a theoretical framework that compares and contrasts realist and constructivist approaches to explain Turkey`s impact on the ESDP. The conclusion of the paper will be that although Turkey is an important military power and has a crucial geo-strategic position for the ESDP operations, it cannot contribute fully to ESDP due to the Cyprus issue. Furthermore, Turkey first follows its national interests and if they are not protected, Turkey can bring costs to European Union as well as benefits.

Keywords: Turkey, EU, ESDP, military power, geostrategic position, Cyprus