Turkey

Turkey occupies a strategically pivotal position straddling Southeast Europe and West Asia, controlling the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits linking the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. It is a longstanding NATO member and EU accession candidate, yet it pursues an increasingly independent foreign policy, balancing ties with the West, Russia, and regional actors across the Middle East, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. Governed under a strong executive presidential system led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the country combines a secular constitutional framework with a Muslim-majority society. Key fault lines for readers include relations with Greece and Cyprus, the Kurdish question, involvement in Syria, and recurring tensions with Western allies alongside pragmatic engagement.