Can Europe save Turkey from sliding into authoritarianism?

Source:Open Democracy Date:15Jun2018

The EU’s ability to pressure Turkey on democratization and human rights has been arrested on multiple fronts. As long as the humanitarian crisis in Syria continues, the EU will be less willing to exert influence over Turkey, while Turkey will be better equipped to shield itself from any attempts. Just as western powers have established alliances with other authoritarian states like Egypt or petrostates like Saudi Arabia, EU-Turkey relations are likely to evolve into a strategic partnership. Given the authoritarian path on which the Turkish government is barrelling, it is not likely that European institutions will be able to reverse the trend in the near future without an unexpected change in the domestic balance of power. What is most worrisome to those who would oppose Erdogan’s flagrant violation of the rule of law: they no longer seem to have allies in Europe.