A STRATEGIC OVERVIEW OF TURKEY by Nezihi Çakar

The world is undergoing rapid and tremendous changes in the post-Cold War era. Its unique location, vigorous market economy, well-established tradition of co-operating with the West and large armed forces, second in size after the US in NATO, makes Turkey a geo-strategic player in world affairs....

MEDITERRANEAN SECURITY IN THE LIGHT OF TURKISH CONCERNS
by Ilter Turan

The content of Mediterranean security has varied both in time and space. In the days of the bipolar world and the Cold War, the definition and the content of Mediterranean security appeared to be relatively easy to establish....

TURKEY'S SECURITY PERCEPTIONS by Sadi Ergüvenç

In Turkey, national security is generally perceived as a condition in which national and territorial integrity and the constitutional establishment are secured and economic and social progress is sustained. The objectives depicted in this definition also correspond, respectively, to national interests. While national interests drive security policies, history and geography shape security perceptions...

SECURITY THREATS IN THE CAUCASUS: GEORGIA'S VIEW
by Alexander Rondeli

For every country national security problems and priorities are of vital and primary importance. New, independent states are particularly sensitive to security problems, as they lack the experience that comes from independent statehood. They have not had the opportunity to develop a defined culture for strategic planning or foreign policy engineering...

TURKEY AND THE EUROPEAN UNION: A QUESTION OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCE? by Günter Endruweit

Cultural differences were increasingly used as an argument against Turkey's integration into an organised Europe since at least 14 April 1987, when Turkey, already an associate member, applied for full membership of the European Community. In this contribution we will consider, though some brief and sometimes simplified examples, some of the structures of this discussion...

THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE CYPRUS IMBROGLIO by Salahi R.Sonyel

Until the 1990s the European Union (EU) - known as the European Community (EC) at that time - was considered to be “an economic giant, but a political pygmy,” for, although it exercised considerable influence in economic, particularly commercial matters, its voice did not count for a great deal in political matters, especially defence and security...

TURKEY'S AUTHORITY TO REGULATE PASSAGE OF VESSELS THROUGH THE TURKISH STRAITS by Gündüz Aybay & Nilüfer Oral

Passage of the landmark 1994 Turkish Straits Regulations (the ‘Regulations'), while representing an important achievement for Turkey in the regulation of maritime traffic through the Turkish Straits—the Istanbul Bogaz (Bosphorus), Sea of Marmara, and Çanakkale Bogaz (Dardanelles)—sparked a flurry of criticism and, at times, vituperative objections from certain members of the international maritime community, particularly from Black Sea riparian states....

THE DEMOCRATISATION PROCESS IN RUSSIA by Esra Hatipoglu

Transition and consolidation can be regarded as two different aspects of the democratisation process. Within this context, transition represents the time period which begins with the breakdown of the old authoritarian regime and ends with the establishment of a relatively stable political system. Consolidation, however, is somewhat different from transition because it refers to the achievement of a change in attitudes and substantial support for the new system, which requires a relatively longer period of time....

TURKEY AND FAITH TOURISMby Yücel Güçlü

Two years from now, the Polish-born John Paul II, the first non-Italian pontiff in nearly five centuries, hopes to fulfil one of his most cherished dreams. John Paul II, in the twentieth year of his reign, the longest serving Pope in this century, makes no secret of his desire to lead the Roman Catholic Church into the third millennium. Despite his frailties, the Pope is focused on spiritual celebration of the year 2000 as the crowning achievement of his career. He is inspired by grand designs for the millennium year....

JOINT STATEMENT ON THE MEETING OF THE PRESIDENTS OF TURKEY, BULGARIA AND ROMANIA

The President of the Republic of Turkey H.E. Mr. Süleyman Demirel, The President of the Republic of Bulgaria H.E. Mr. Peter Stoyanov and The President of Romania H.E. Mr. Emil Constantinescu met in Antalya on 16-17 April 1998. Present at the meeting were H.E. Mr. Ismail Cem, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, H.E. Mrs. Nadezhda Mihaylova, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, H.E. Mr. Andrei Plesu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania. ..