How the EU helped erode Turkish democracy

Turkey is strong, Europe is weak.

That is the image promoted by the Turkish government at a time when the EU has little leverage on Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan due to the refugee crisis.

Europe is partly responsible for getting itself into the situation.

By neglecting the accession process for decades, the EU has contributed to strengthening Erdogan’s authoritarian grip on power. It now finds itself sidelining its own values in return for Ankara’s help on migra...