The Turkey of a decade ago was at a very different crossroads. That Turkey had met the European Union’s “Copenhagen political criteria,” a set of democracy- and governance-related requirements that EU candidates had to meet, and had started accession negotiations. That Turkey’s economy was just beginning to take off. For the first time in its history, the institutions associated with liberal democracy—a free and dynamic press, active civil society, improved minority rights, and a more peaceful co-existence between Islam and secularism—were blossoming. That Turkey was seen as a linchpin of stability, peace, and prosperity in its neighborhood.
Today, Turkey looks dramatically …read more
Source: Brookings