Refugees in Turkey and Turkish emigrants themselves are likely to affect the country’s next elections. While migration is not a new issue for Turkey, the level to which it has recently been politicized is. As Syrians and Afghans finding refuge in Turkey will be the subject of election campaigns, the votes of Turkish citizens living abroad shouldn’t be overlooked.
With the 2016 EU-Turkey refugee deal coming to an end, the next agreement should be more comprehensive as Turkey grapples with an influx of Afghan refugees amid domestic economic downturn and a wave of political polarization that places refugees front and center.
Geopolitical, ideological, and socio-economic quandaries will continue to haunt processes of normalization in the Middle East subsequent to the US’s gradual withdrawal from the region. Underlying issues remain unresolved despite diplomatic relaxation, and the power vacuum left behind by the US has the potential to rekindle regional rivalries and trigger proxy wars worse than those seen under the Obama and Trump administrations.
Turkish foreign and security policy adventurism has seen an unprecedented rise under the AKP, but in order to preserve its vital interests Turkey should return to its cautious and impartial roots
Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton’s book, “The Room Where It Happened”, provides us with a unique glimpse into Trump’s White House and decision-making process.
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