Turkey's Road to Europe: The "Praetorian" Puzzle and the Search for Direction: Demetrios A. Theophylactou Is a Fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. He Has Served As a Diplomat for Cyprus As Well As an Adjunct Faculty Member at Boston University and at the Facultes Universitaires Saint Louis in Belgium (Perspectives‪)‬

Despite all odds Turkey continues to prepare itself for eventual accession to the European Union. After a noticeable slowdown since 2005, both the pace and scale of constitutional reforms recently gathered new steam, reflecting the resolve of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) party to attain deeper democratization. Yet the journey of the Turkish locomotive to Brussels is bound to be long--the road by no means smooth--and indeed, even painful. The country is in effect transforming itself to a liberal democracy from an essentially "praetorian" state, or one where the military keeps a watchful eye on the civilian administration. Notwithstanding, the reforms are guided primarily by the European Acquis Communautaire, the body of legislation that essentially regulates the accession course. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]