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

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

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.

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 w...

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

Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.

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

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Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.

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