Recent developments both in Turkey and its immediate neighborhood have brought into sharp focus Turkey's pivotal role in a region that has become increasingly challenging to the EU. These developments, for example, have prompted Ankara to declare more of an independent course of action both domestically and regionally and hasten into a d tente with Russia. As a result, considerations of Turkey's European future have been eclipsed by concerns about Ankara's preference to aspire to being an independent regional power. Along with those about Turkey's orientation, time-honored existential...