All Policy Analysis by Soner Cagaptay

Issues such as energy dependence, deep-rooted fears of the Russian military, and Black Sea navigation policy all offer clues to Prime Minister Erdogan's vacillating response to Russian activities in Crimea.

The rise of a middle class in Turkey has resulted in a society where rival political blocs and formerly violent factions are forced to coexist despite their enduring rancor.

Changes in the leadership of the Kurdistan Workers Party suggest preparations for a return to a more hardline stance toward Turkey should the peace process between them break down. They also signal that the PKK is likely to take a more active military role in Syria, potentially in alliance with

On January 27, 2014, Dr. Soner Cagaptay presented insights from his book, The Rise of Turkey, and discussed Turkey's future during a special event at the Ralph J. Bunche Library of the U.S. Department of State.

Washington Institute Turkey expert Soner Cagaptay explains the lessons of the last decade of transformative growth and change in Turkey and charts a course for the country to continue its rise.

This paper argues that Turkey only partly fits the mold that describes the rising BRICS countries, and so it is useful to designate Turkey as a special case in the rising powers literature. On the one hand, Turkey has gained from the post-Cold War international structure by expanding its outreach

Turkey will hold local and presidential elections in 2014, both of significant import. The AKP, in power since 2002, has lasted longer than any other government since the country became a multiparty democracy in 1950. Likewise, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ruled Turkey longer than any other democratically elected

Institute Turkey scholar Soner Cagaptay's guide to both the inspiring potential and the grave challenges of Turkey's transformation into a true regional and global power.

Prime Minister Erdogan's increasingly autocratic rule has alienated the Gulen movement.

France and Germany need to realize that a genuine path to European Union membership is Turkey's surest path to greater democratization.

Buoyed by a decade of economic growth, Turkey is more prosperous than ever before. At the forefront of this transformation, Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) has reaped the rewards of economic success and political prestige. But as the party strives to institutionalize its gains, it faces growing challenges at