"As Turkey’s foreign policy changes, so does Turkey
Since the founding of the republic, Turkish political institutions and mores have derived much of their internal strength from a specific external orientation. In other words, the institutionalization of the vision of a modernist, secular and liberal democratic Turkey necessitated – especially at the time of the founding – a modernist, secular and liberal democratic role model: Europe. Reforms were adapted from numerous European nations, solidifying Turkey’s adherence to norms and institutions that many eventually came to see as both intrinsically European and Turkish. Furthermore, with the beginning of Turkey’s journey towards the European Union and its demanding liberal democratic standards, Europe came to serve not only as a distant ideal on some disinterested pedestal, but an active agent in encouraging reform within Turkey as well. In short, Turkey’s secular and democratic build-up has been inextricably tied to the nation’s historic orientation towards the West."
More:As Turkey’s foreign policy changes, so does Turkey - Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review
