Turkey and the European Union: A Mutual Dilemma

Turkey has made enormous efforts to be among the European countries during the recent decade. Given the consequences of Turkish membership in the European Union for the country and its neighboring states, studying this subject is of utmost importance. Assuming that the confrontation between Turkey and the European Union will continue due to different worldviews and identities, this article examines the potential change of the situation. The author tests the hypothesis that lack of dynamism in Turkey’s domestic structure on the one hand and the feeling of identity threat by European countries on the other constitute the most serious obstacles to Turkey’s full integration to the Union. As a result, Turkey may, at the best of conditions, become closer to the Union and expand its relations with it, but it will not be able to join it fully. The author, at the end of the article, concludes with the potential ramifications of Turkey’s EU membership on Iran’s position.