Turkey's entry into the Concert of Europe

Abstract

From the start, Turkey's aspirations to join the European Union aroused considerable opposition. Recently, the debate has focused increasingly on supposed disparities in the spheres of culture, politics or mentality, implying that this Muslim country would not be able to comply with European norms and values. Supporters of Turkey's candidacy, on the other hand, have pointed out that Turkey has always been an important element of the European balance of power and was, in the nineteenth century, even a member of the Concert of Europe. Both sides invoke history to justify their arguments. The present paper examines the evolution of the European state system and the major stages in the history of the Turkish–European relationship, with a view to arriving at a more balanced judgement. It can be shown that new concepts, such as state interest and balance of power, had already begun in the sixteenth century to undermine the old theological worldview and, beginning with the eighteenth century, the Ottoman Empire was treated – at least de facto – as an actor that observed fully the norms of European public law (jus publicum Europeum). However, a de jure recognition of the Empire's status had to wait until the Treaty of Paris (1856), but even then it did not include an effective guarantee of Ottoman territorial integrity.

Intersecting Asymmetries: The Internationalization of Turkey in the 1920s and the Limits of the Postcolonial Approach

“…The government maintained permanent diplomatic missions in the capitals of Europe, 16 and the Congress of Paris (1856) confirmed its membership in the European Concert of Powers. 17 Besides these diplomatic achievements, the Ottoman government also participated in many of the specialized international organizations that originated during the latter half of the century. The Sublime Porte joined public international unions such as the International Telegraph Union (1865) and the General Postal Union (1874).…”

Europeanness versus Turkishness in a Turkish TV Sitcom: The Case of Avrupa Avrupa

“…However, the overall difference is not very large, as in member states of the EU such as Bulgaria and Romania, there are similar or even more pronounced traditional and authoritarian values than those held in Turkey. The Turkish-European relationship cannot be separated easily and Turkish historical writing and political propaganda have attempted to invalidate Western stereotypes that accentuate the ‘otherness’ of the Ottoman Turk through measures that include showing ‘the Ottoman past in a positive light, such as the sultan offering shelter to the Jews expelled from Spain after 1492, François I’s alliance with Süleyman the Magnificent in the 1530s, or the admission of the Ottoman Empire into the Concert of Europe in 1856 9 …”

Imagining the Middle East: the state, nationalism and regional international society

“…From this perspective, the Ottoman tributary system indicates a historically embedded social structure in the Middle East that constitutes an international society with its particular set of institutions. The Ottoman system also demonstrated the functioning of diplomacy, nationalism and war prior to its incorporation into world capitalist economy and European international law in the nineteenth century (Adanir 2005). There is a strong case for calling the Middle East a regional international society due to 'institutional distinctiveness' as defined by its primary institutions -state, nationalism and sovereignty -and secondary institutions -common culture and identity-based regional organizations (Buzan and Gonzalez-Pelaez 2009), as will be identified later.…”