Turkey and Russia: no birds of the same feather
Journal: Social Science Open Access Repository (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences)
Year: 2020

Since Turkey's controversial acquisition of the S-400 missile system from Russia, the narrative that the EU is facing a twin challenge from the East has been gaining currency in European capitals. Turkey and Russia are often portrayed as two authoritarian regimes led by strong leaders who favour an omnipotent state at the expense of fundamental freedoms and liberal democratic institutions. Yet, putting these two countries into the same basket and formulating policies accordingly is problematic.