Monday

2nd Oct 2023

Opinion

Putin and Erdogan: A new year and new challenges in the EU neighbourhood

  • The European brand of liberal democracy may have found its opponents in Moscow ’s Kremlin and Ankara’s Ak Saray (Photo: EUobserver)

For decades, the European Union symbolised “liberal democracy” as a political project, one that would be disseminated through its enlargement and neighborhood policies.

In 2014, the EU discovered two major hurdles in its near abroad.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

  • Putin (l) and Erdogan: Bedfellows in authoritarianism (Photo: kremlin.ru)

Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s assertiveness put a spanner in the works of the EU’s “Eastern Partnership”.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly signaled that he doesn’t worry much about liberal democratic values – least of all when the EU is perceived as teaching “lessons” to his “New Turkey.”

It doesn’t take a crystal ball to guess that 2015 will see more of the same.

Despite many differences between these two important neighbours, it is quite obvious that, for their own reasons, both Putin and Erdogan will keep contradicting or chastising the EU as often as needed in their highly-charged populist political style, while engaging the EU for vital economic reasons.

The EU’s style of liberal democracy was already vigorously challenged across the entire Arab world, where Europeans chose to co-operate with dictators in the name of fighting terrorism post-9/11.

The wave of Arab revolutions didn’t improve the situation much, with the notable exception of Tunisia (although it was the Tunisians themselves, not the Europeans, who promoted liberal democracy).

Then, Putin endeavored to recreate the marches of the defunct Soviet empire and to oppose “Western domination” of the world order.

Five Russian vehicles

Five main vehicles were used for this strategy: “Novorossia,” an ethnic Russian concept strong enough to justify the annexation of Crimea and the dispatching of heavily-armed Russian troops in eastern Ukraine; a renewed sense of nationalism, promoted through a massive public relations effort; the Eurasian Union, a loosely defined economic and political project; rebuilding the Russian army and emphasising its renewed confidence with an unprecedented number of harassment incidents of Western air forces and navies; and, finally, blaming any problem on a “foreign plot,” including depicting the EU as annexing Ukraine and the West more generally as attempting to extend Nato further eastward.

In Turkey, the EU accession process has been showing its limits since 2011, as the ruling party, the AKP, increasingly sees the accession requirements (including public procurement, competition, and fundamental freedoms policies) as impediments to its lasting predominance.

The Gezi protests in June 2013 highlighted the illiberal leanings of then prime minister Erdogan. Alleged corruption cases that dogged the Turkish government in December 2013 triggered a massive rollback of the rule of law architecture, under the justifications of both “foreign” and “terrorism” plots.

With the “New Turkey” ushered in following the election of Erdogan as the country’s first directly-elected president last August, a distinct turn toward authoritarianism was taken, touching every segment of public life from the right of dissent to compulsory classic Ottoman language lessons and from women’s role in society to freedom of religion.

In both Russia and Turkey, the EU and the liberal values it carries have been designated as contrary to national interests.

Potemkin modernity

In both countries, a modern-looking facade has been erected in front of authoritarian policies through a massive communication effort by government-controlled media and social media, even when it takes the form of outright faking of information (e.g. the Russian case on the downing of flight MH17) or embracing bold but shallow strategies (e.g. the “EU strategy” of Turkey).

The challenge for the EU is not so much direct confrontation with Russia or the discarding of the accession request by Turkey.

Moscow and Ankara are unlikely to move into such hazardous terrains. The challenge rather lies in the growing distance between rhetoric and reality, which translates into a rapid-fire dual discourse vis-a-vis the EU.

For example, Russia keeps sending troops to eastern Ukraine, while seemingly favoring an ever-elusive ceasefire and telling EU leaders (e.g. France’s Hollande) that it has no intention to annex the Donbas region.

At the same time, Russia, crippled by sanctions and low gas prices, has a vital need to remain the largest gas supplier to the EU.

Similarly, the political survival of Turkey’s ruling party hinges on restraining fundamental liberties and halting corruption inquiries while the country’s economic prosperity, through exports and foreign direct investments, rests in large part on good relations with the EU and the pro forma continuation of accession negotiations.

Their authoritarianism is loaded with contradictions.

EU reaction

In such an environment, the EU is faced with assertive political cultures, which are now entirely at odds with the concept of a “common European house” long used with Russia and indeed with the fundamentals of Turkey’s accession process.

Good at principled statements and at sanctions, the EU is often divided over its economic interests in both Russia and Turkey. As a result, it may waver between protecting its values and its business needs.

Yet, there is no real reason why it should disregard the liberal democratic aspirations of Ukrainian or Turkish people.

The European brand of liberal democracy may have found its opponents in Moscow’s Kremlin and Ankara’s Ak Saray and it may be used as a scapegoat because of its support of free press, social media, and civil society.

But in response the EU leadership has to fine-tune its foreign policy toolbox in order to stand firm as the major peace and democracy project in today’s world.

Marc Pierini, a former EU ambassador to Turkey, is an analyst at Carnegie Europe, a think-tank in Brussels

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author's, not those of EUobserver.

Turkey needs its women, Mr Erdogan

Erdogan and the EU should do more for Turkish women if they care about the country's future. But instead, they are digging holes

Balkan Putinism

Putinism is essentially a mix of authoritarian rule and crony capitalism. Balkan Putinism is 'illiberal democracy' with its claws retracted.

How do you make embarrassing EU documents 'disappear'?

The EU Commission's new magic formula for avoiding scrutiny is simple. You declare the documents in question to be "short-lived correspondence for a preliminary exchange of views" and thus exempt them from being logged in the official inventory.

Column

Will Poles vote for the end of democracy?

International media must make clear that these are not fair, democratic elections. The flawed race should be the story at least as much as the race itself.

Latest News

  1. EU women promised new dawn under anti-violence pact
  2. Three steps EU can take to halt Azerbaijan's mafia-style bullying
  3. Punish Belarus too for aiding Putin's Ukraine war
  4. Added-value for Russia diamond ban, as G7 and EU prepare sanctions
  5. EU states to agree on asylum crisis bill, say EU officials
  6. Poland's culture of fear after three years of abortion 'ban'
  7. Time for a reset: EU regional funding needs overhauling
  8. Germany tightens police checks on Czech and Polish border

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  2. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators, industry & healthcare experts at the 24th IMDRF session, September 25-26, Berlin. Register by 20 Sept to join in person or online.
  3. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  4. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  5. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators & industry experts at the 24th IMDRF session- Berlin September 25-26. Register early for discounted hotel rates
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations
  2. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  3. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  4. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us