^#smrgSAHAF Turkey and Europe -

Turkey is a country of contradictions. A member of NATO, it is anxious to play a fuller role in an expanded European Community whilst maintaining its links with the Middle East. In an atmosphere of continuing unrest in the Middle East, Turkey is of considerable strategic importance for Europe. Its role of support for the allied forces during the Gulf War indicated a growing rapprochement and gave Turkey much more prominence on the international stage. However, Turkey also has considerable domestic problems to overcome, both economic and political, the issue of the Kurds being one of the major obstacles to its membership of the EC. However, there has been surprisingly little written on Turkey's importance as a power in its own right, or in relationship to the rest of Europe, and this volume seeks to redress that balance. The book is divided into five main sections, looking at the present relationship between Turkey and Europe, historical perspectives, economic issues, political and cultural issues and concluding with an assessment of Turkey's global role in the aftermath of the Gulf Crisis. This provides a framework for a final re-evaluation of future relationships between Turkey and Europe.