At the crossroads between Europe and Asia, Turkey has always been pivotal in international affairs, today it faces greater challenges than ever: managing an inflow of over 2 million refugees from Syria’s ongoing civil war; as a key member of NATO facing up to expansionist Russia; and at home from the recent intrusion of violent radical Islam with suicide-bombings in Ankara and Istanbul. With the ruling AK Party winning an unexpected majority in last November’s elections, President Erdogan still faces internal rifts and an economy increasingly vulnerable to external shocks.
Mr Kerim Balci discusses how the political transformation of Turkey will play out and the possible ramifications of its relations with the wider region.

Kerim Balci is a Turkish writer, journalist and academician, and Editor-in-Chief of Turkish Review, a bimonthly journal published by Zaman Media Group of Turkey. He is a frequent columnist in Today’s Zaman and Zaman dailies, both the largest circulating newspapers in their spheres, and correspondent to several local and international TV channels on issues related to the Middle East. Mr Balci studied Physics and Political Science and International Relations at the Bosporus University of Turkey. He has an MA from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and is currently a PhD candidate at Durham University in the UK on linguistic philosophy.