Their European counterparts usually admired Ottoman diplomats as talented public servants.
As famously (or infamously) declared by the Russian Czar Nicholas I, the Ottoman Empire was the sick man of Europe throughout the 19th century.
Yet, thanks to these talented diplomats, it survived by cleverly using the balance of power in Europe and by always knowing with which great power to align with. It was this diplomatic tradition that the Turkish Republic inherited and got relative ...
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Already a member? Login hereMatthew is EUobserver's Opinion Editor. He joined EUobserver in June 2018. Previously he worked as a reporter for The Guardian in London, and as editor for AFP in Paris and DPA in Berlin.
Matthew is EUobserver's Opinion Editor. He joined EUobserver in June 2018. Previously he worked as a reporter for The Guardian in London, and as editor for AFP in Paris and DPA in Berlin.