Marmaray is another in a series of large-scale projects initiated by the ruling AKP to demonstrate how Turkey is undergoing a spectacular transformation.

Ankara has become a hostage of its own image as an economically successful state with a stable socio-political system.

Despite a growing assertiveness in Ankara’s relations with Brussels, Turkey will continue to seek closer integration with the EU in the coming years.

On 22 October the Council of the European Union decided to open a negotiating chapter on regional policy in its accession negotiations with Ankara. A week earlier the European Commission published a report which detailed the reforms…

For the first time in a decade, the AKP government is encountering major impediments both domestically and internationally, and the party’s image has been tarnished.

On 30 September the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced a long-awaited package of laws aimed at improving democratic standards in Turkey. The new legislation addresses a number of deficits in the…

On 26 September, Turkey’s Undersecretariat for Defence Industries resolved a tender for the delivery of long-range air defence systems. The winner was China’s CPMIEC. If Turkey ultimately decides to buy the…

On 5 August, an Istanbul court passed sentences in the Ergenekon case, which has been ongoing since 2008. Along with ‘Balyoz’, a similar case concerning conspiracy concluded last autumn, it was an attempt to deal legally with the ‘…

Turkey has firmly condemned the military coup in Egypt. It strikes a blow for Ankara's position in the Middle East. By condemning the coup, Turkey is trying to restore its image of a promoter of democracy.

On the 25 June the Council of the EU decided to formally open the “regional policies” chapter in negotiations on Turkey joining the EU. The council abstained from issuing final agreement for talks to begin with Ankara until the European…