Background The relationship between the EU and Turkey is one where both parties have what the other wants: the EU has the capacity to let Turkey ascede into it while Turkey acts as a buffer state between the EU and the tumultuous Middle East. The desire for Turkey to join the EU is based on potential economic benefits as well as its cultural background. As a “middle ground” so to speak between Europe and the Middle East, Turkey can be described as a melting pot of both European and Middle Eastern influences (Glyptis 2005). Due to its proximity to other European countries as well as its past as the Ottoman Empire, Turkey has a distinct European influene despite its main religion being Islam. Combined with the general instability found in its neighboring states in the Middle East, this makes the country far more inclined towards developing a relationship with its European rather than Middle Eastern counterparts (Wood & Quaisser 2005). From an economic perspective, Europe possesses a vast market for Turkish goods and shows how being part of EU would greatly benefit Turkey’s economy. Combined, the aforementioned reasons help to explain why Turkey is seeking EU membership and the various steps it has taken to do so (ex: internal reform and oversight) (Redmond 2007). On the other end of the spectrum, resistance towards the inclusion of Turkey into the EU are based on economic and cultural reasons as well. As evidenced by the debt crisis in Greece, the housing crisis in Spain and the decline of the Italian economy, the EU economy as it is known today is far from what can be deemed as being “stable”. The addition of another country, one who has been noted as having a significant lack of sufficient internal transparency (which is similar to the case of Greece) could potentially cause another economic issue within the EU. From a cultural perspective, Turkey is viewed as being more Middle Eastern than European due the predominant religion within the country being Islam as well as social inclinations and traditions that are viewed as being far from the “European norm”. Aside from this, there are also issues related to restrictions in fundamental human freedoms, illegal detentions and even the unjust treatment of local minorities that further impede Turkey’s application into the EU. However, it should be noted that the EU actually needs Turkey due to its status as a buffer state. The current Syrian refugee crisis, its actions against radical Islam elements such as the Islamic state as well as other similar threats shows that Turkey is a valuable resource for the EU to prevent such elements from spilling over into Europe. It is due to this that the EU cannot outright disparage Turkey; however, it cannot accept it either due to the aforementioned reasons stated earlier, the most prominent of which are the country’s human right’s abuses. Turkey on the other hand cannot entirely dismiss the claims that the EU levels against it due to its desire to be part of it. It is due to this that the current strategy of the EU is to seek to advance human rights in Turkey in such a way that the most detrimental aspects of preventing the country from acceding into the EU on moral grounds are addressed.