A Discussion on Turkey

{
  "authors": [
    "Henri J. Barkey"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
  ],
  "collections": [
    "Arab Awakening"
  ],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Middle East",
    "Türkiye",
    "Syria",
    "Levant"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform"
  ]
}

In The Media

A Discussion on Turkey

The Arab Spring has presented problems for Ankara’s foreign policy of zero problems with its neighbors. The outcome of the popular uprisings in neighboring Syria will ultimately have a significant impact on this policy and on the projection of Turkish power in the region.

By Henri J. Barkey

Published on May 12, 2011

Source: Charlie Rose Show

While the past decade has seen significant political and economic success for Turkey, the popular uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa, known collectively as the Arab Spring, have presented problems for Ankara, explained Henri Barkey on the Charlie Rose Show. “Turkey’s zero problems policy with its neighbors has become a policy of zero problems with Arab regimes,” Barkey explained. This is particularly the case in Syria, where Ankara worked hard to improve relations with the increasingly unpopular Assad regime. Unlike in Egypt or Tunisia, Barkey warned that the potential for a bloodbath in Syria is significant and with an open border between Turkey and Syria, the possibility of thousands of Syrians fleeing to Turkey is very high. “Prime Minister Erdogan and President Obama are both working to promote a soft transition” in Syria, in order to mitigate violence and instability, Barkey concluded.

About the Author

Henri J. Barkey

Former Visiting Scholar, Middle East Program

Barkey served as a member of the U.S. State Department Policy Planning Staff, working primarily on issues related to the Middle East, the Eastern Mediterranean, and intelligence from 1998 to 2000.

Recent Work

Article
Winners and Losers in Turkey’s Election
- Henri J. Barkey
Article
The Road to Turkey’s June Elections: Crises, Strategies, and Outcomes
- Henri J. Barkey

Political Reform Middle East Türkiye Syria Levant

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Europe

Commentary
Strategic Europe
How to Join the EU in Three Easy Steps
Montenegro and Albania are frontrunners for EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, but they can’t just sit back and wait. To meet their 2030 accession ambitions, they must make a strong positive case.
Dimitar Bechev, Iliriana Gjoni
Article
Rewiring the South Caucasus: TRIPP and the New Geopolitics of Connectivity
The U.S.-sponsored TRIPP deal is driving the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process forward. But foreign and domestic hurdles remain before connectivity and economic interdependence can open up the South Caucasus.
Thomas de Waal, Areg Kochinyan, Zaur Shiriyev
Commentary
Strategic Europe
Taking the Pulse: Is it NATO’s Job to Support Trump’s War of Choice?
Donald Trump has demanded that European allies send ships to the Strait of Hormuz while his war of choice in Iran rages on. He has constantly berated NATO while the alliance’s secretary-general has emphatically supported him.
Rym Momtaz, ed.
Commentary
Strategic Europe
Russia’s Imperial Retreat Is Europe’s Strategic Opportunity
The war in Ukraine is costing Russia its leverage overseas. Across the South Caucasus and Middle East, this presents an opportunity for Europe to pick up the pieces and claim its own sphere of influence.
William Dixon, Maksym Beznosiuk
Commentary
Strategic Europe
The EU Needs a Third Way in Iran
European reactions to the war in Iran have lost sight of wider political dynamics. The EU must position itself for the next phase of the crisis without giving up on its principles.
Richard Youngs

More Work from Carnegie Europe

Commentary

Strategic Europe

How to Join the EU in Three Easy Steps

Montenegro and Albania are frontrunners for EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, but they can’t just sit back and wait. To meet their 2030 accession ambitions, they must make a strong positive case.

Dimitar Bechev, Iliriana Gjoni

Article

Rewiring the South Caucasus: TRIPP and the New Geopolitics of Connectivity

The U.S.-sponsored TRIPP deal is driving the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process forward. But foreign and domestic hurdles remain before connectivity and economic interdependence can open up the South Caucasus.

Thomas de Waal, Areg Kochinyan, Zaur Shiriyev

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Taking the Pulse: Is it NATO’s Job to Support Trump’s War of Choice?

Donald Trump has demanded that European allies send ships to the Strait of Hormuz while his war of choice in Iran rages on. He has constantly berated NATO while the alliance’s secretary-general has emphatically supported him.

Rym Momtaz, ed.

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Russia’s Imperial Retreat Is Europe’s Strategic Opportunity

The war in Ukraine is costing Russia its leverage overseas. Across the South Caucasus and Middle East, this presents an opportunity for Europe to pick up the pieces and claim its own sphere of influence.

William Dixon, Maksym Beznosiuk

Commentary

Strategic Europe

The EU Needs a Third Way in Iran

European reactions to the war in Iran have lost sight of wider political dynamics. The EU must position itself for the next phase of the crisis without giving up on its principles.

Richard Youngs