A Comprehensive Refugee Strategy in Turkey

Institutes:

Center for American Progress (CAP), Istanbul Policy Center (IPC)

CATS Network Research Topic: Opportunities and constraints for EU-Turkey cooperation in Syria

Project Members:

Max Hoffman, CAP
Alan Makovsky, CAP
Michael Werz, CAP
Senem Aydın-Düzgit, IPC
Fuat Keyman, IPC

Project Duration: Apr 2020 – Dec 2020

Contact:

Max Hoffman, email: max.hoffman@americanprogress.org

The demographic futures of Turkey and Europe were entwined. The influx of nearly four million Syrians fleeing the civil war represented Turkey’s most significant demographic change in decades, and the scale of the challenge of integration continued to grow—more than 300 Syrians were born each day in Turkey. Turkey had to reckon with the reality that most of the Syrian refugees would remain in Turkey, and figure out how to fully incorporate them into society. Already, this was a massive domestic political issue that was reshaping Turkish politics, not to mention the dramatic impact migration had had on the EU’s internal dynamics, creating considerable tensions between member states. The long-term implications for Turkish stability were similarly profound. The EU and Turkey therefore shared vital moral, political and strategic interests in ensuring that Turkey managed this challenge effectively and humanely.

This research project studied the different layers of this complex crisis and framed the problem in a comprehensive manner, to include the question of how EU member states could adopt a more unified position on these critical challenges and the dynamic security situation in Northern Syria. The refugee crisis and irregular migration were often considered separately from the security situation, but they were closely linked, and each problem shaped the other. The project aimed to develop a comprehensive strategy that addressed the key security questions in northern Syria and advanced a coordinated EU response in coordination with the United States in 2021.

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