Overview: Turkey and the Middle East

The Middle East has been a volatile region for more than half a century, and there are few signs that the tense and uncertain atmosphere will change over the next few years. The dominant geopolitical issue continues to be the Israel-Palestinian stalemate. Thousands of fighters and civilians from both sides have been killed since the most recent Palestinian intifada began in September 2000. Progress toward peace and agreement on future Palestinian sovereignty has been fitful, and it is unclear whether Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s vow to remove settlers from Gaza or the new Israeli "security fence" between Israel proper and the West Bank will hinder or bolster moves toward a settlement.

The war in Iraq, launched by the United States in March 2003, and the subsequent occupation have had a profound effect on the region. Most neighboring states welcomed the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, but they remain deeply suspicious of U.S. intentions and the Bush administration’s "preemptive war" strategy. In Iraq itself, lingering security concerns and violence, coupled with ethnic mistrust, are likely to continue to hamper efforts to rebuild a shattered economy and ensure stability even after sovereignty officially reverts to an Iraqi government at the end of June 2004.

The strategic role played by Turkey, a NATO member and one of the region’s few legitimate democracies, is likely to increase significantly in coming years. Successive governments have lobbied for greater integration with the West—for instance, Turkish support for a Cyprus reunification plan in 2004 (which was eventually rejected by Cypriot voters) came as a direct result of the country’s desire for European Union membership. Yet at the same time Turkey’s leaders remain wary about changes in the east, where its armed forces maintain a strong presence along borders with Syria, Iran, and Iraq, at least in part to reduce the threat of a Kurdish independence movement that could mobilize Turkey’s own large and restless Kurdish minority.

Human rights and free speech are routinely violated in Egypt, the world’s most populous Arab nation, which has essentially been a secular dictatorship for several decades. Meanwhile, hardline supporters of Islamic theocracy continue to stymie democratic and social reform movements in Iran.

The Open Society Institute has recently begun expanding its presence in the region to help influence reform efforts aimed at addressing many of these negative conditions. It is working in several countries with local NGOs and international organizations that seek to foster democracy, the rule of law, civil and ethnic rights protections, robust and independent media outlets, and other key open society issues.

OSI's Middle East & North Africa Initiative provides the most comprehensive information about the organization's activities in Turkey and the Middle East.