Ebru Turhan Book order

In recent years, dialogue between Germany and Turkey has increasingly become subject to political, academic and public debates. The evolution of the bilateral relations between both countries has been a journey with numerous ebbs and flows for a long time. Lately, however, phases of conflict have started to last longer and have included magnified levels of estrangement and mutual distrust. Is the complex and dynamic relationship between both countries heading from a ‘rollercoaster ride’ to a ‘train crash’? Departing from the intermestic and exceptionally interdependent nature of German-Turkish relations, this edited volume revisits the dialogue between Germany and Turkey and examines the potential for future cooperation and conflict between both countries. To this end, the chapters of this volume focus on three dimensions of German-Turkish relations which particularly involve conflictual and cooperative dialogue: the European dimension, domestic and foreign politics and transnational dynamics. With contributions by Mirja Schröder, Funda Tekin, Ebru Turhan, Thomas Krumm, Ludwig Schulz, Yaşar Aydın, Deniz Kuru, Defne Kadıoğlu Polat, Çetin Çelik, Elif Posos Devrani and Wolfgang Wessels

What has driven the European Council's decisions regarding Turkey's EU accession? This book explores the determinants of the Council's decisions from 1989 to 2004, utilizing two theoretical frameworks: rationalism and constructivism. It highlights two essential dynamics in EU enlargement: interests and norms. The rationalist perspective distinguishes between realism, which focuses on security interests, and neoliberalism, which emphasizes economic interests. Meanwhile, the constructivist approach examines moral and ethical norms. To understand the dynamics behind these decisions, the analysis operates on two levels: EU enlargement politics and the specific politics of Member States. A detailed examination of the positions of Britain, France, Germany, and Greece reveals their influence on Turkey's membership discussions. The key finding is that while both interests and norms played a role in shaping the European Council's decisions, security interests emerged as the primary determinant, overshadowing economic considerations and moral or ethical norms.