Comparative analysis of identity and foreign policy : Russia, Turkey and the EU

The European Union???s political integration process includes the cultivation of a Collective EU Identity (CEUI). The EU employs certain ???other/s??? to define and secure its CEUI, and this interaction results in reactions from the ???othered??? states. Russia and Turkey, two pivotal neighbors, provide compelling examples of such a case. They possess a long history of inimical relations with Europeans, but also a long history of emulation of Europe on the path to modernization. Utilizing a hybrid methodological approach including discourse and empirical analysis, this project thus demonstrates that the internal difficulty in the formation of CEUI engenders challenging relations with Russia and Turkey that ultimately leads to shifts in both national identities of the ???others??? and their foreign policy orientations. Additionally, Europeans return to their historical and deliberate attempt to utilize Russia and Turkey as the ???other??? in their identity-building process since the end of the Cold War