What place does Turkey occupy in the world today? Is it a bridge between Asia and Europe, or a bridgehead? Is Turkey part of Europe? In spite of the fine sentiments of Brussels and the desire displayed by all Turkish administrations for the past 15 years to become part of the EU, a game of bluff seems to be unfolding, marked by postponements, hesitations and unspoken agenda. But this bureaucratic approach masks other pressing issues such as the question of military power, Islam, the Kurdish questions, Cyprus and immigration. In the context of these issues, the Turkish question serves to cast the spotlight on new challenges for Europe: where should the frontiers of Europe be drawn? What is the place of Islam in it? What is the best way to deal with minorities? The spectrum of authoritative analyses in this vital new book demonstrates that Turkey presents, to an enlarged Europe, the image of its own contradictions, but also its ambitions.

Olivier Roy is Director of Research at the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). He has been Head of the OSCE's Mission for Tajikistan (1993–94) Consultant for UNOCA (United Nations Office of the Coordinator for Afghanistan) in 1988. His latest book is 'Globalized Islam' (Columbia University Press, 2004.) He has also published 'Les illusions du 11 septembre et l'Islam mondialisé' (Seuil, 2002).

Anthem Middle East Studies

Anthem Studies in European Ideas and Identities

List of Contributors; Chronology; Human Rights, Conventions Ratified by Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania; Introduction: Turkey on the Road to Europe; Discussion: Turkey - A World Apart, or Europe's New Frontier; Turkey - A Democracy Under Control?; The Turkish Economy Between Neo-Liberalism and the Weight of Statism; Islam in Turkey: A 'Secular Muslim' State; Turkey and the European Union: From Migration to Integration?; Can the Kurdish Question be Resolved within Europe?; Contexts: The Ottoman Empire; Mustafa Kemal Atatürk; The Genesis of the Idea of Europe; The Idea of Europe Since 1945; The Armenian Genocide; The Cypriot Question; Makarios III; Bibliography; Further Internet Resources; Glossary; Index