Public Conference: “What is ‘New’ in Turkish Foreign Policy?”, 18 June 2015

Title: “What is ‘New’ in Turkish Foreign Policy?”
Speakers: Associate Professor C. Akça Ataç, Çankaya University, Ankara, Dr. Pınar İpek, Bilkent University, Ankara & Associate Professor Müge Kınacıoğlu, Hacettepe University, Ankara
Titles of the Talks:
Associate Professor C. Akça Ataç, The Rising Civilization Discourse in Turkish Foreign Policy
Dr. Pınar İpek, Ideas and Material Interests in Turkish Foreign Policy
Associate Professor Müge Kınacıoğlu, Constructing a New Foreign Policy Identity in Turkey
Date: Thursday, 18 June 2015
Time: 18:00-20:00
Venue: S -1.06, Lecture Theatre, Strand Campus, King’s College London, WC2R 2LS
Chair: Bill Park, Senior Lecturer, Defence Studies Department, King’s College London

We are pleased to announce Centre for Policy and Research on Turkey (Research Turkey)’s public conference entitled “What is ‘New’ in Turkish Foreign Policy?”, in which Associate Professor C. Akça Ataç of Çankaya University, Dr. Pınar İpek ofBilkent University and Associate Professor Müge Kınacıoğlu of Hacettepe Universitywill give talks. This event will take place on Thursday, 18 June 2015 between 6:00p.m. and 8:00p.m. at S -1.06, Lecture Theatre, Strand Campus, King’s College London, WC2R 2LS. Bill Park, Senior Lecturer, Defence Studies Department, King’s College London will kindly chair the event.

You may find the short biographies of the speakers and the chair below.

This event is free and open to public but it is a ticketed event that requires pre-registration. A ticket does not guarantee a seat. Please click here for free registration and tickets.

Short Biographies of the Chair and Speakers

C. Akça Ataç is Associate Professor of Political History at Çankaya University in Ankara. She did her PhD in History at Bilkent and pursued postdoctoral studies at the UCLA. She has publications in journals such as History of Political Thought, Turkish Studies and Perceptions, and she has contributed chapters to books published by Brill, I.B. Tauris and Honore Champion/Paris, among others. She won second place in the 5th International Sakıp Sabancı research Awards in 2010. Her latest article which is a comparative reading of Niall Ferguson, Amin Maalouf and Ahmet Davutoğlu with respect to their takes on civilization is currently under review for publication.

Pınar İpek is Assistant Professor at the Department of International Relations at Bilkent University in Ankara. Before joining Bilkent University in 2004 she was a faculty member at University of Pittsburgh in 2003-2004. Dr. İpek holds a BA from the Faculty of Political Science, Ankara University in Turkey and a MBA from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She completed her PhD in international affairs at University of Pittsburgh in 2003. She was a visiting Fulbright scholar at the Johns Hopkins University during 2012-2013. Her current research is on integration process in the EU internal energy market and the role of socialization among EU member states, energy security in global political economy, Turkey’s changing trade relations by regions and political economy of state-business relations, and the role of oil and gas resources in post conflict state transformation in Iraq.

Müge Kınacıoğlu is Associate Professor at Department of International Relations, Hacettepe University, Ankara. Dr. Kınacıoğlu received her BSc. in Public Administration and Political Science from Middle East Technical University, Ankara. She completed an MA in Political Science and an MA in International Affairs at Marquette University, USA as a Fulbright scholar. She worked as an International Security intern at the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington DC. On her return to Turkey, she served as Assistant Specialist at the National Security Council of Turkey. She received her PhD from the Department of International Relations, Bilkent University, Ankara. She was a visiting fellow at the European Institute and at the Centre for International Studies of the London School of Economics and Political Science between 2004 and 2007. Among her research interests are security studies, legitimacy issues and the use of force in international politics, politics of international law, international relations theory and Turkish foreign policy. Kınacıoğlu is currently an Associate Professor of International Relations in Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.

Bill Park is Senior Lecturer in the Defence Studies Department, King’s College, London. He is the author of journal articles, book chapters, blog pieces and monographs on a range of Turkish foreign policy issues, including its EU accession prospects, the Cyprus problem, Turkey’s policies towards Northern Iraq, Turkey-US relations, the Fethullah Gulen movement, and the Ergenekon affair. Among his publications are ‘Turkey-KRG relations after the US withdrawal from Iraq: putting the Kurds on the map’, published by the Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College, in March 2014 (available online). His book, ‘Modern Turkey: People, State and Foreign Policy in a Globalized World’, was published by Routledge in 2011. He is currently writing a book on Turkey’s regional Kurdish predicaments. He serves as a trustee, council member and research committee member for the British Institute at Ankara (BIAA), and is an editorial board member for the journal Mediterranean Politics. He is a frequent visitor to Turkey, has presented at numerous workshops and conferences, and has appeared as a Turkey expert on various UK and overseas media, has given testimony on Turkish issues to the UK Parliament, and is used as a consultant on Turkish issues by various UK government agencies.

ResearchTurkey & BIAA Conference: “Turkey and the UK: Their Policies towards the EU after their General Elections”, 15 June 2015

Title: “Turkey and the UK: Their Policies towards the EU after their General Elections”
Speakers: Hikmet Çetin, Jack Straw, Soli Özel and Quentin Peel
Date: Monday, 15 June 2015
Time: 18:30-20:30
Venue: Wolfson Auditorium, British Academy,10 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AH
Chair: Sir David Logan, Chairman of the British Institute at Ankara (BIAA)

We are pleased to announce Centre for Policy and Research on Turkey (Research Turkey)’s public conference organised in partnership with The British Institute at Ankara (BIAA), entitled “Turkey and the UK: Their Policies towards the EU after their General Elections” to be held on Monday, 15 June 2014, at Wolfson Auditorium, British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AH between 6.30p.m. and 8.30p.m. The speakers are Hikmet Çetin (Former Turkish Foreign Minister), Jack Straw (Former British Foreign Minister), Soli Özel (Senior Lecturer, Kadir Has University; Columnist, Habertürk) and Quentin Peel (Editor/Columnist, The Financial Times).  Sir David Logan will kindly chair the event. 

Turkey and the UK both have complex and often troubled relations with the European Union. The causes are very different, but the challenges for both derive in part from their geographical locations on the European periphery; their sometimes ambiguous sense of European identity; and their possession of important non-European interests. Both countries have General Elections this spring. A priority for their new governments will be to develop policies towards the EU which reflect the election outcomes; which manage the challenges and opportunities which Europe presents; and which will guide their approach to the EU in the medium term.

This event is a ticketed event. It requires pre-registration and a ticket to enter. The ticket price is £10 per person. Seating for ticket holders will be first come, first served. To buy a ticket, please e-mail to the following e-mail address: [email protected]

Short Biographies of the Participants and the Chair

Hikmet Çetin is the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey.  Mr. Çetin was elected to the Turkish Parliament in 1977 as a member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP). He was appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister in 1978. In 1997, he was re-elected to the Parliament from the Social Democratic People’s Party (SHP). Minister Çetin worked at various executive levels within SHP, including the post of the Secretary General. In 1991, he was re-elected to the Parliament and then served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the two coalition Governments between 1991 and 1994. Mr. Çetin was once again appointed as the Minister of State and Deputy Prime Minister in 1995. In the 1995 general elections, Minister Çetin retook his seat in the Parliament and was elected as the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) in October 1997. On 19 November 2003, he was appointed as the NATO Senior Civilian Representative (SCR) for Afghanistan and served till 2006.

Jack Straw is the former Foreign Secretary of United Kingdom. Mr. Straw has held the positions of Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (2007 to 2010), Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal (2006 to 2007) and Foreign Secretary (2001 to 2006), Home Secretary (1997 to 2001) in government. He was Shadow Deputy Prime Minister (2010 to 2010), Shadow Lord Chancellor and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice (also Shadow Minister for London) (2010 to 2010), Shadow Secretary of State (Home Office) (1994 to 1997), Shadow Secretary of State (Environment) (1992 to 1994), Shadow Secretary of State for Education (1987 to 1992), Shadow Spokesperson (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) (1983 to 1987), Shadow Spokesperson (Treasury) (1980 to 1983) in opposition. Mr. Straw was a Member of Parliament for Blackburn from 1979 to 2015.

Soli Özel is currently a full time Professor at Kadir Has University and columnist at Habertürk Daily newspaper. He has been an advisor to the chairperson of TUSIAD for the last 16 years. He is a regular contributor to German Marshall Fund’s web site’s “ON Turkey” series and writes a bimonthly column for Italy’s Espresso magazine. His writings have been published in international newspapers and academic journals. His latest published work is co-authored with Serhat Guvenc and entitled “NATO and Turkey in the Post-Cold War World: Between Abandonment and Entrapment”

Quentin Peel is a senior fellow at The Royal Institute of Foreign Affairs (Chatham House). A career journalist, his appointments at the Financial Times included bureau chief in Brussels (1984-87), Moscow (1988-91), and Berlin (2010-14). Peel was foreign editor 1994-98, and chief foreign affairs columnist from 1998-2008. He also wrote a regular foreign affairs column and is Associate Editor for leader and feature writing. Mr. Peel writes for several other major international print media and appears regularly on broadcast media around the world. Quentin was in Johannesburg when Rhodesia became Zimbabwe in 1976 and apartheid began to weaken. Peel was Africa Editor, based in London, from 1981 to 1984. Mr. Peel covered the emergence of the EU as European Community Correspondent and Bureau Chief in Brussels in the mid-1980s. In 1988, Peel was posted in Moscow and covered the Gorbachev revolution, the end of the Soviet empire and the Cold War. From 1991, he covered the German reunification from Bonn. Over the course of his career, Peel has received several honours and prizes: David Holden Prize for International Reporter of the Year, UK Press Awards, 1990; Premio di Napoli, awarded by the city of Naples and the European Parliament, for reporting on European affairs, 2002; Honorary Doctorate, Birmingham University, UK, 2006; and Chevalier, French Légion d’Honneur, 2006.

Sir David Logan is Chairmann of the British Institute at Ankara. Sir Logan was British Ambassador to Turkey from 1997-2001, and also served at the British Embassy there between 1965-1969. For most of his career in the Diplomatic Service he specialised in east-west relations and in defence policy.  He served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the British Embassies in Moscow and Washington. His postings in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office included appointments as Assistant Under Secretary of State for Central and Eastern European Affairs, and for Defence Policy. He was Director of the Centre for Studies in Security and Diplomacy and an Honorary Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Birmingham University between 2002 and 2007. He is Chair of the British Institute at Ankara, which supports and enables research in Turkey and the Black Sea region in the fields of archaeology, history and contemporary social science.

Title: “Labour Market and Education Policy Issues in Turkey”

Speakers: Dr. Bilge Eriş Dereli, Visiting Posdoctoral Researcher, University of Warwick and Dr. Burhan Can Karahasan, Visiting Fellow at LSE

Titles of the Talks:
Dr. Bilge Eriş Dereli: “Occupational Mobility and Mismatch Unemployment”
Dr. Burhan Can Karahasan: “The Effect of Compulsory Schooling on Spatial Distribution of Educational Attainment”
Date: Thursday, 7 May 2015
Time: 18:30-20:00
Venue: B104, Brunei Gallery, SOAS, University of London, WC1H 0XG
Chair: Dr. Jonathan Hill, King’s College London

We are pleased to announce Centre for Policy and Research on Turkey (Research Turkey)’s public conference entitled “Labour Market and Education Policy Issues in Turkey” in which Dr. Bilge Eriş Dereli, Visiting Posdoctoral Researcher, University of Warwick and Dr. Burhan Can Karahasan, Visiting Fellow at LSE and will give talks. This event will take place on Thursday, 7 May 2015 between 6:30p.m. and 8:00p.m. at B104, Brunei Gallery, SOAS, University of London, WC1H 0XG. Dr. Jonathan Hill of King’s College London will kindly chair the event. The event is co-sponsored by SOAS Development Studies, Neoliberalism, Globalisation and States Research Cluster.

You may find the talks’ abstracts as well as the speakers’ biographies below.

This event is free and open to public but it is a ticketed event that requires pre-registration. A ticket does not guarantee a seat. Please click here for free registration and tickets.

Abstracts of the Talks

Dr. Bilge Eriş Dereli: Mismatch Unemployment and Occupational Mobility (co-authored with Thijs van Rens)

There is a lot of talk about skill shortages on the labour market, or skill mismatch (Kocherlakota(2010, Katz(2010)). The idea is that if we could only improve occupational mobility, we would reduce labour market mismatch, increase productivity and reduce unemployment. We explore this idea using the Turkish Household Labour Force Surveys between 2005 and 2012. The Turkish data are particularly suited for our purposes, because the data for unemployed workers include information both about their previously held occupation and the occupation they are currently looking for. Thus, the data allow us to observe the counterfactual labour market allocation if there were no occupational mobility. Our main finding is rather surprising. The preliminary results indicate that unemployed workers move towards high-wage occupations and out of low-wage occupations. This movement does not generate a considerable change in dispersion in wages; however there occurs dispersion in job finding rates across occupations which in the end increases mismatch unemployment. Worker mobility across occupations actually generates the mismatch unemployment and in the light of this finding putting in place worker mobility frictions would reduce unemployment substantially.

Dr. Burhan Can Karahasan: The Effect of Compulsory Schooling on Spatial Distribution of Educational Attainment (co-authored with Alpay Filiztekin)

This paper explores the effect of a change in compulsory schooling on spatial distribution of educational attainment in Turkey. A sudden change in the policy in 1997 increased mandatory years of schooling from five to eight years. Using data on two cohorts, the cohort that had been affected by the change and the immediate cohort that had not, we compare the shifts in the distributions of the share of individuals with compulsory level of education and the share of population that acquired more, voluntary, education. Our findings suggest an increase in the dispersion in voluntary education across space. However, this finding is mostly due to gender differences. Men, especially in urban areas, benefitted more from the change in the law. Moreover, our analysis show that local labour market conditions are important in shaping the distribution and females are more susceptible to such conditions.

Short Biographies of the Speakers and the Chair

Dr. Bilge Eriş Dereli is a lecturer at Marmara University Department of Economics since 2013. She worked as a research assistant at the same department between 2009 and 2013. She is currently a visiting researcher fellow at The University of Warwick, Department of Economics. Shereceived her Bachelor’s degree in Economics at Marmara University (2006) and her PhD degree in Economics at the same university (2013). She studied as a visiting researcher in Centre de Recerca en Economia Internacional (CREi) at Universitat Pompeu Fabra for her doctoral thesis research during the 2011-2012 academic year. She has participated projects conducted by The Conference Board and The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey as a researcher. She has awarded scholarships of The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey and The Council of Higher Education of Turkey during her MA and PhD studies. Her research interests are labour economics, education economics and applied econometrics

Dr. Burhan Can Karahasan is Assistant Professor in Economics at Piri Reis University, Turkey.  Currently he is a Visiting Research Fellow at LSE, European Institute, Research on South Eastern Europe (LSEE). He received his MA degree from Boğaziçi University and PhD degree in Economics from Marmara University. Previously he was a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Barcelona Grup d’Anàlisi Quantitativa Regional. In 2010, he was granted the Best PhD Thesis award by Turkish Economic Association and in 2013 received the Ibn Khaldun Prize from Middle East Economic Association. Dr Karahasan has mostly published on regional inequality issues in journals such as International Regional Science Review, Journal of Conflict Resolution, International Review of Economics and Finance, Review of Urban and Regional Studies. His current research focuses on the spatial imbalances in human capital development at local level in Turkey and peripheral European Countries.

Dr. Jonathan Hill is Reader in Postcolonialism and the Maghreb in the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London. He joined King’s in 2005 after completing his PhD in the Department of International Politics at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He has been a Senior Associate Member of St Antony’s College, University of Oxford and is a member of the ESRC’s Peer Review College. He is a Fellow of the British Society of Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES) and the Middle East Studies Association (MESA). He has provided expert opinion on North Africa to a range of public and private organisations including the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence and Department for International Development, Sweden’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the World Energy Council.

Title: “Global Oil and Gas Conflicts in Eurasia: the Impact on Economy and Security of Supply”
Speakers and Titles of the Talks:
John Baldwin (Former Vice President of Southern Corridor in British Petroleum (BP)): “Politics and Projects: Hands-on experience from Projects such as South Stream, Nabucco, TAP/TANAP and ITGI.”
Dr. Adnan Vatansever (Senior Lecturer at the Russia Institute of King’s College London): “Broader Aspects of Russian Gas Exports and their Link to Russian-Turkish Energy Relations”
Nina Chestney (Head of EMEA Power, Gas, Coal and Carbon, Reuters): “An EU Perspective on Gas Conflicts in Eurasia; the viability of the Turkish Stream and Other Pipeline Projects”
Chair: Dr. Mamdouh G. Salameh, International Oil Economist, Oil & Energy Consultant at World Bank
Date: Thursday, 19 March 2015
Time: 4:00pm – 7:15pm
Venue: 1880 Room, The Bentley London 27-33 Harrington Gardens London, SW7 4JX

Politics are always interrelated with Oil and Gas projects. In this case the topic discussed will be on the matter of supplying energy to Europe. The issue has gained momentum due to the conflicts emerging in the regions adjacent to Turkey such as Iraq, Syria and Crimea and their effects in addition to developments regarding the establishment of new pipeline projects and collaboration initiatives.

We are pleased to announce Centre for Policy and Research on Turkey (Research Turkey)’s public conference and networking event entitled “Global Oil and Gas Conflicts in Eurasia: The Impact on Economy and Security of Supply” in which Mr. John Baldwin, Dr. Adnan Vatansever and Ms. Nina Chestney will give talks. This event will take place on Thursday, 19 March 2015 between 4:00pm and 7:15pm at 1880 Room, The Bentley London 27-33 Harrington Gardens London, SW7 4JX. Dr. Mamdouh G. Salameh, International Oil Economist, Oil & Energy Consultant at World Bank will kindly chair the event.

Event is free and open to public but it requires pre-registration, which will guarantee seat upon confirmation. Please send an email with the subject ‘Oil and Gas’ to [email protected] including your Name, Company/Institution and Job Title. You may register for up to two guests. We would kindly like to ask you included the information regarding your guests in the same e-mail. Research Turkey Events Team will respond to confirm attendance.

You may find below the short biographies of the speakers and the chair.

Short Biographies of the Speakers and the Chair

John Baldwin (Former Vice President of Southern Corridor in British Petroleum (BP))

John Baldwin is former Vice President of Southern Corridor. He has worked for BP in various positions for over 30 years. Prior to the Southern Corridor, he was political adviser to the BP group for companies in the FSU and the Middle East, based in London. He has also worked as commercial manager for Upstream Projects in London and the Far East. John is also a former Board Member of the Russian British Chamber of Commerce and a non-executive Board Member of ShawCor, a Canadian energy service company.

Dr Adnan Vatansever (Senior Lecturer at the Russia Institute of King’s College London):

Dr Adnan Vatansever, is a Senior Lecturer at the Russia Institute of King’s College London. He is also the Associate Director of the European Centre for Energy and Resource Security at King’s College and non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington. Prior to this he was a Senior Associate at the Energy Program of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Senior Associate in Russian and Caspian energy at IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates and a consultant for the World Bank and the U.S. Department of Energy. His research interests include: political economy of the energy sector in Eurasia, Russian political economy and oil and gas geopolitics. His forthcoming book focuses on the political economy of the management of natural resource rent in Russia.

Nina Chestney
 (Head of EMEA Power, Gas, Coal and Carbon, Reuters)

Nina Chestney is Head of EMEA Power, Gas, Coal and Carbon in Reuters, based in London. She coordinates Reuters’ coverage of European power, gas, coal, carbon markets with a focus on policies, investment and trading. She also covers issues relevant to the environment, climate change and clean energy technologies. Nina has 13 years of journalistic experience. At Reuters she covered carbon markets in London and EU energy policy and competition in Brussels. Before joining Reuters, Nina worked as a journalist in the European pulp and paper sector in Brussels and for Japanese newspaper The Yomiuri Shimbun, covering a broad range of subjects: from UK politics and the Iraq War to sport and entertainment.

Dr. Mamdouh G Salameh (International Oil Economist, Consultant Oil & Energy at World Bank and Visiting professor of energy economics at the ESCP Europe University in London)

Dr. Mamdouh G Salameh, is an international oil economist, a consultant for the World Bank in Washington D.C. on oil and energy and also a technical expert with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Vienna. Dr Salameh has undertaken research assignments for the US Department of Energy, the World Bank, the Institute of Energy Economics in Japan, the Indian Government, OPEC, the Canadian Energy Research Institute, Boston University working on the Encyclopaedia of Energy and the government of Jordan among others. He is also an advisor to the Oil Depletion Analysis Centre (ODAC), London.

Title: “Turkey and Russia: Friends in Need or Partners of Convenience?”
Speaker: Dr. Dimitar Bechev, Visiting Fellow, European Institute, LSE
Date: Thursday, 12 March 2015
Time: 18:30-20:00
Venue: S-2.23, King’s College London (KCL)
Chair: Bill Park, Senior Lecturer, Defence Studies Department, King’s College

We are pleased to announce Centre for Policy and Research on Turkey (Research Turkey)’s public conference entitled “Turkey and Russia: Friends in Need or Partners of Convenience?” in which Dr. Dimitar Bechev, Visiting Fellow, European Institute, LSE will give a talk. This event will take place on Thursday, 12 March 2015 between 6:30p.m. and 8:00p.m. at S-2.23, Lecture Theatre, Strand Campus, King’s College London, WC2R 2LS. Bill Park, Senior Lecturer, Defence Studies Department, King’s College will kindly chair the event.

You may find the short biographies of the speaker, the chair and as well as the talk’s abstract below.

This event is free and open to public but it is a ticketed event that requires pre-registration. A ticket does not guarantee a seat. Please click here for free registration and tickets.

Short Biography of Dr. Dimitar Bechev

Dr. Dimitar Bechev is Visiting Fellow at LSEE (LSE Research on South East Europe), which is part of LSE’s European Institute.  In 2010-14, he was Senior Research Fellow and Head of Sofia Office at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). He has published widely on EU enlargement and the politics and modern history of Turkey and the Balkans, and is a regular contributor to media outlets such as Al Jazeera, Open Democracy and EU Observer. He has been quoted by leading publications such as The Economist, Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal. Dr. Bechev is now working on a book exploring Russia’s role in South East Europe, including the Balkans, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus. He holds a D.Phil in International Relations from the University of Oxford.

Short Biography of Bill Park

Bill Park is Senior Lecturer in the Defence Studies Department, King’s College, London. He is the author of journal articles, book chapters, blog pieces and monographs on a range of Turkish foreign policy issues, including its EU accession prospects, the Cyprus problem, Turkey’s policies towards Northern Iraq, Turkey-US relations, the Fethullah Gulen movement, and the Ergenekon affair. Among his publications are ‘Turkey-KRG relations after the US withdrawal from Iraq: putting the Kurds on the map’, published by the Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College, in March 2014 (available online). His book, ‘Modern Turkey: People, State and Foreign Policy in a Globalized World’, was published by Routledge in 2011. He is currently writing a book on Turkey’s regional Kurdish predicaments. He serves as a trustee, council member and research committee member for the British Institute at Ankara (BIAA), and is an editorial board member for the journal Mediterranean Politics. He is a frequent visitor to Turkey, has presented at numerous workshops and conferences, and has appeared as a Turkey expert on various UK and overseas media, has given testimony on Turkish issues to the UK Parliament, and is used as a consultant on Turkish issues by various UK government agencies.

Abstract of the Talk

Russia and Turkey have, over the past two decades, developed a very constructive relationship across a wide variety of policy areas. Imperial rivals during much of the Cold War, both countries have since then found common interests in matters of energy, trade and even defence. Besides their growing interdependence, it is hard not to notice the similarities between the two leaders of these countries, especially when it comes to the conspiracy mind-set of blaming dissent at home on foreign meddling. But does this mean that Turkey is fundamentally realigning its foreign policy strategy, away from the EU and towards Russia? And is the EU facing the emergence of an “axis of the excluded”? Not so according to Dimitar Bechev. Dr. Bechev argues that the ties between Russia and Turkey are driven by pragmatism and realpolitik. Contentious issues – such as the war in Syria – may be insulated from areas of overlapping interest, but deeper examination shows the glue holding the two countries together – their energy interdependence – is slowly weakening.