
The Black Sea region could do with some Turkish soft power, but it looks as though this is not a priority for Prime Minister Erdogan.

The political battle between the AKP and their former-ally turned competitor Fethullah Gülen has had severe consequences for Turkish democracy.

Recent local elections in Turkey were a big victory for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the domestic scene, but they have dented his standing internationally.

Turkey’s local elections on March 30 are set to be a contest between two visions of democracy. The outcome will have serious implications for the future of democratic freedoms.

Every week a selection of leading experts answer a new question from Judy Dempsey on the foreign and security policy challenges shaping Europe’s role in the world.

Ankara’s attempts to make democracy promotion a focus of its foreign policy have had only limited success, in part because Turkey is losing credibility as a democratic model.

The private struggle between Erdogan and Gülen is overshadowing debate on key issues confronting the country, and is undermining Turkey’s fragile democracy by shutting the Turkish public at home out of the conversation.
Only a few months in, 2014 is already set to be in important year for geopolitics.

Many of the world’s autocrats believe there is a vast international conspiracy underway to destabilize their governments and eventually oust them from power.

The Ukrainian and Crimean crisis are a major challenge for Turkish diplomacy but there is no serious indication that Turkey will stand against Russia. The priority for the Turkish government now is to ensure it will survive the corruption scandals and upcoming elections.