What the war in Gaza means for Turkey
Jeremy Shapiro welcomes Aslı Aydıntaşbaş and Dimitar Bechev discuss what the conflict in the Middle East means for Turkey’s foreign policy
Experts & Staff
Dimitar Bechev
ECFR Alumni · Former Senior Policy Fellow
Biography
Dimitar Bechev used to work for ECFR as Senior Policy Fellow.
Turkey’s illiberal turn
Turkey is sliding back on its democratisation path
Explaining the EP election results: Bulgaria
Still pro-EU, Bulgarian’s cast a vote of no confidence for the current government
Consequences of Ukraine: Europe’s fragile cohesion
Below the superficial unity in response to the Ukraine crisis, member states are dividing into clusters, each with its own view on Russia
Britain’s Bulgaria-Romania phobia
The panic in Britain over prospective Bulgarian and Romanian immigration is based on a misunderstanding of European rules. It is also at odds with the country's best traditions
Ukraine and Bulgaria show power of EU model
There are still countries in Europe where protestors enthusiastically wave the EU's star-studded flag rather than burning it in anger. These days Kiev's embattled EuroMaidan is as much the heart of the Union as the Schuman roundabout in Brussels. So who said Europe lacks a story and a cause?
Bulgaria: students to the rescue
Mistrust is the basic idiom of Bulgarian politics. The prolonged crisis in Bulgaria exposes the bankruptcy of an entire political system in desperate need of renewal
Syria: the Kurdish view
This essay forms part of an eight-part ECFR series exploring the regional responses, dynamics and ramifications of the Syrian uprising and civil war. These…
Turkey’s people power tide
The eruption of protest in Istanbul and other Turkish cities expresses vigorous opposition to the political direction of prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This is a big, even historic, moment in Turkey.
Serbia, Kosovo and the benefits of normalisation
The EU-brokered deal between Serbia and Kosovo settles the most acute dispute in the Balkans and is likely to have an impact on the wider region. Yet it may be too early to declare victory in the Balkans.
Publications
Turkey’s illiberal turn
Turkey is sliding back on its democratisation path
The periphery of the periphery: The Western Balkans and the Euro crisis.
What next for EU enlargement?
What does Turkey think?
Understanding how the new Turkey views the world, from inside
European security: The spectre of a multipolar Europe
The EU needs to build a trialogue on security with Russia and Turkey
Articles
Explaining the EP election results: Bulgaria
Still pro-EU, Bulgarian’s cast a vote of no confidence for the current government
Consequences of Ukraine: Europe’s fragile cohesion
Below the superficial unity in response to the Ukraine crisis, member states are dividing into clusters, each with its own view on Russia
Britain’s Bulgaria-Romania phobia
The panic in Britain over prospective Bulgarian and Romanian immigration is based on a misunderstanding of European rules. It is also at odds with the country's best traditions
Ukraine and Bulgaria show power of EU model
There are still countries in Europe where protestors enthusiastically wave the EU's star-studded flag rather than burning it in anger. These days Kiev's embattled EuroMaidan is as much the heart of the Union as the Schuman roundabout in Brussels. So who said Europe lacks a story and a cause?
Bulgaria: students to the rescue
Mistrust is the basic idiom of Bulgarian politics. The prolonged crisis in Bulgaria exposes the bankruptcy of an entire political system in desperate need of renewal
Syria: the Kurdish view
This essay forms part of an eight-part ECFR series exploring the regional responses, dynamics and ramifications of the Syrian uprising and civil war. These…
Turkey’s people power tide
The eruption of protest in Istanbul and other Turkish cities expresses vigorous opposition to the political direction of prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This is a big, even historic, moment in Turkey.
Serbia, Kosovo and the benefits of normalisation
The EU-brokered deal between Serbia and Kosovo settles the most acute dispute in the Balkans and is likely to have an impact on the wider region. Yet it may be too early to declare victory in the Balkans.
Bulgaria’s anger, the real source
An escalating crisis in Bulgaria marked by street-protests across the country forced the government's resignation. But the instant wisdom that financial austerity caused it is misleading.
Bringing Turkey back to the EU debate
Shunned by the EU with membership talks effectively blocked, Turkey feels empowered. It is no longer on the European periphery, but at the centre of its own world.
Podcasts
What the war in Gaza means for Turkey
Jeremy Shapiro welcomes Aslı Aydıntaşbaş and Dimitar Bechev discuss what the conflict in the Middle East means for Turkey’s foreign policy
In the media
Dimitar Bechev on how alarmist geo-political arguments over Greece have catapulted the country and the threat of a 'Grexit' to the centre of European foreign policy
Head of Sofia office Dimitar Bechev looks at the stakes involved in the Turkish parliamentary election
Policy fellow Mattia Toaldo speaks to Bloomberg Business regarding Libya's war and social breakdown, and the subsequent migrant crisis facing Europe
Dimitar Bechev and Andrew Wilson on Gazprom's alleged breach of EU anti-trust legisaltion
Dimitar Bechev's interview on the results of the presidential elections in Romania