Syrian Refugees and Transnational Challenges for EU and Turkey
Until the spiraling war in Syria have grown to be a source of international crises (e.g. mass refugee inflows to Turkey and EU, anti-IS coalition, Russian deployments in Syria), many in Europe thought that this was another conflict in a crisis-prone region that can be contained locally. Recent refugee tragedies demonstrated painfully that this will no longer be the case! Ongoing mass influx of Syrian refugees to Turkey and the European Union (EU), and the resulting transnational challenges ranging from trafficking (e.g. Human, arms, drugs, oil) to terrorist infiltration and radicalization put forward the need to timely discuss the available policy options for Turkey and the EU. How should Turkey and EU approach to the deteriorating situation in Syria and its spill-over to their territories via refugees and terrorist infiltration? What are the potential avenues for international cooperation for Turkey and the EU in response to the transnational challenges emanating from the ongoing regional conflicts such as ongoing tragedies in Syria and Iraq? These are among the key questions this study explores in light of the comprehensive analysis of Turkish and EU policies. Accordingly, this research concentrates on the growing importance of multilateral cooperation in critical areas such as humanitarian aid/intervention, crisis management, border security, and counter-terrorism.
Giray Sadik . girayuga@gmail.com
Yildirim Beyazit University, Ankara, TR
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Giray SADIK earned his Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Georgia (Georgia, USA) specializing in public opinion and foreign policy interaction, international security, Transatlantic relations (NATO, EU-CFSP) and European and Turkish foreign policies. After his return from postdoc in Sweden; currently, he is a faculty member, vice chair and Erasmus coordinator in the Department of International Relations, Faculty of Political Science, Yıldırım Beyazıt University (SBF-YBU).