Associate professor (dr hab.) in the Institute of Political Science, University of Warsaw; in 2004-2011 also analyst in the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM); in 2012-2013 TÜBITAK research fellow at the Koç University in Istanbul. Expert in the enlargement of the European Union, political system and foreign policy of Turkey - first of all relations with the EU. Author of a number of publications: books (Obywatelstwo Unii Europejskiej, co-author, Warsaw 2004; Wielkie Zgromadzenie Narodowe Turcji, Warsaw 2005; System konstytucyjny Turcji, Warsaw 2006; Między islamem a kemalizmem. Problem demokracji w Turcji, Warsaw 2008; Turcja i Europa - Wyzwania i szanse; Turkey and Europe. Challenges and Chances, Warsaw 2011,2012 ed.; Rozszerzanie Unii Europejskiej - współczesne uwarunkowania i perspektywy kontynuacji procesu/European Union Enlargement. Contemporary Determinants and Prospects for the Continuation of the Process, Warsaw 2012; Zmiana polityki rozszerzania Unii Europejskiej - ujęcie instytucjonalne, Warsaw 2014), articles in domestic and foreign periodicals as well as analyses and expert opinions - on the European integration, political systems of selected states as well as international relations.
Turkey has had a fairly long tradition of regular, competitive polls and multi-party democracy be... more Turkey has had a fairly long tradition of regular, competitive polls and multi-party democracy begun in 1946. However, in the last decade, with the consolidation of Justice and Development Party's (AKP, Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi) grip on power, there has been a growing concern about the integrity of elections in this state. In subsequent elections the ruling party resorted to a plethora of means inhibiting their competitiveness. Thus, the article seeks to survey the extent of election mal-practices in Turkey with the focus on manipulation of vote choice as most disturbing group of electoral malpractices and, without prejudging, to address the fundamental questions about whether elections in Turkey, notwithstanding the irregularities, still meet democratic, international standards, or whether Turkey is sliding into electoral autocracy.
Turkey is an important actor of the war in Syria. After the first months of the conflict the Syri... more Turkey is an important actor of the war in Syria. After the first months of the conflict the Syrian neighbour began supporting the opposition forces in the war and took a very critical approach to Bashar al-Assad's regime, based on the assumption that the Syrian president must definitely resign from the office. It was a substantial change of the Turkish policy towards Syria in comparison to the first decade of the 21 st century. The main goal of this article is an in-depth analysis of Turkey's policy towards the war in Syria in order to identify the reasons for a specific , inflexible Turkish position. The author verifies positively a hypothesis that the Turkish policy towards Syria and the war there is a result of the interplay of many domestic and foreign policy factors in Turkey as well as the regional and international situation. The inflexible Turkish position is in this context a consequence of the more sectarian policy of the AKP government (reflecting the departure from the "strategic depth doctrine ") connected with the ideological factor as well as the negative consequences of the Assad regime's actions for Turkish security and the increasingly complex Kurdish issue.
The European Union’s (EU) impact on the political systems of its member states as well as countri... more The European Union’s (EU) impact on the political systems of its member states as well as countries within enlargement and neighborhood policy has been broadly analyzed, particularly in the context of the democratization process. However, there have been some political changes in recent years that justify the question of whether we still can talk about the continuation of Europeanization and democratization or have started to observe a disruption of these processes, or even their reversal. The main goal of this paper is to analyze the relationship between the phenomena of de-Europeanization and de-democratization, looking at the current political changes in selected “new” member states or candidates for EU membership (Hungary, Poland, and Turkey) to better understand the core problems of their democratization processes and, at the same time, the obstacles to effective Europeanization.
The supporters of the EU membership of Turkey argue that this state can help the Union become a g... more The supporters of the EU membership of Turkey argue that this state can help the Union become a global player, among other reasons thanks to its capacity as " facilitator " in the resolution of regional conflicts, especially in the Middle East and South Caucasus. This article is a critical analysis of this argument. The author agrees that Turkey after the accession would help the EU in conflict resolution, however only to a certain extent. Turkey would have to counteract long and short term domestic and regional problems as well as the EU's weaknesses as an international actor.
Many conservative parties which attach a great significance to religion claim that they support t... more Many conservative parties which attach a great significance to religion claim that they support the democratic principles. However, their actions are against the liberal model of democracy. The main question posed in this article is if it is religion that is the major factor behind the particular understanding of democracy. The author argues that it is a mixture of conservative, religious and populist (sometimes also nationalist) aspects that in this context can play a crucial role - even in diverse national and cultural settings. The article is a comparative analysis of the Justice and Development Party in Turkey and the Law and Justice party in Poland.
This article concerns the current pre-accession process of Turkey and the question of its prospec... more This article concerns the current pre-accession process of Turkey and the question of its prospects. In order to answer this question the author conducts an in-depth analysis of factors that can influence the process on three main levels: EU (i.e. general political and economic situation, EU enlargement policy, EU institutions), member states and Turkey. He wants to verify the hypothesis that although the situation in this candidate country is crucial for the future of Turkey-EU relations, the decisive factors are in the EU and member states. The pre-accession process of Turkey will be continued but its pace and course will depend to a large extent on the position of the main Union's powers, the clear vision of the EU as well as the economic/political situation and public feelings in Europe.
Turkey has had a fairly long tradition of regular, competitive polls and multi-party democracy be... more Turkey has had a fairly long tradition of regular, competitive polls and multi-party democracy begun in 1946. However, in the last decade, with the consolidation of Justice and Development Party's (AKP, Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi) grip on power, there has been a growing concern about the integrity of elections in this state. In subsequent elections the ruling party resorted to a plethora of means inhibiting their competitiveness. Thus, the article seeks to survey the extent of election mal-practices in Turkey with the focus on manipulation of vote choice as most disturbing group of electoral malpractices and, without prejudging, to address the fundamental questions about whether elections in Turkey, notwithstanding the irregularities, still meet democratic, international standards, or whether Turkey is sliding into electoral autocracy.
Turkey is an important actor of the war in Syria. After the first months of the conflict the Syri... more Turkey is an important actor of the war in Syria. After the first months of the conflict the Syrian neighbour began supporting the opposition forces in the war and took a very critical approach to Bashar al-Assad's regime, based on the assumption that the Syrian president must definitely resign from the office. It was a substantial change of the Turkish policy towards Syria in comparison to the first decade of the 21 st century. The main goal of this article is an in-depth analysis of Turkey's policy towards the war in Syria in order to identify the reasons for a specific , inflexible Turkish position. The author verifies positively a hypothesis that the Turkish policy towards Syria and the war there is a result of the interplay of many domestic and foreign policy factors in Turkey as well as the regional and international situation. The inflexible Turkish position is in this context a consequence of the more sectarian policy of the AKP government (reflecting the departure from the "strategic depth doctrine ") connected with the ideological factor as well as the negative consequences of the Assad regime's actions for Turkish security and the increasingly complex Kurdish issue.
The European Union’s (EU) impact on the political systems of its member states as well as countri... more The European Union’s (EU) impact on the political systems of its member states as well as countries within enlargement and neighborhood policy has been broadly analyzed, particularly in the context of the democratization process. However, there have been some political changes in recent years that justify the question of whether we still can talk about the continuation of Europeanization and democratization or have started to observe a disruption of these processes, or even their reversal. The main goal of this paper is to analyze the relationship between the phenomena of de-Europeanization and de-democratization, looking at the current political changes in selected “new” member states or candidates for EU membership (Hungary, Poland, and Turkey) to better understand the core problems of their democratization processes and, at the same time, the obstacles to effective Europeanization.
The supporters of the EU membership of Turkey argue that this state can help the Union become a g... more The supporters of the EU membership of Turkey argue that this state can help the Union become a global player, among other reasons thanks to its capacity as " facilitator " in the resolution of regional conflicts, especially in the Middle East and South Caucasus. This article is a critical analysis of this argument. The author agrees that Turkey after the accession would help the EU in conflict resolution, however only to a certain extent. Turkey would have to counteract long and short term domestic and regional problems as well as the EU's weaknesses as an international actor.
Many conservative parties which attach a great significance to religion claim that they support t... more Many conservative parties which attach a great significance to religion claim that they support the democratic principles. However, their actions are against the liberal model of democracy. The main question posed in this article is if it is religion that is the major factor behind the particular understanding of democracy. The author argues that it is a mixture of conservative, religious and populist (sometimes also nationalist) aspects that in this context can play a crucial role - even in diverse national and cultural settings. The article is a comparative analysis of the Justice and Development Party in Turkey and the Law and Justice party in Poland.
This article concerns the current pre-accession process of Turkey and the question of its prospec... more This article concerns the current pre-accession process of Turkey and the question of its prospects. In order to answer this question the author conducts an in-depth analysis of factors that can influence the process on three main levels: EU (i.e. general political and economic situation, EU enlargement policy, EU institutions), member states and Turkey. He wants to verify the hypothesis that although the situation in this candidate country is crucial for the future of Turkey-EU relations, the decisive factors are in the EU and member states. The pre-accession process of Turkey will be continued but its pace and course will depend to a large extent on the position of the main Union's powers, the clear vision of the EU as well as the economic/political situation and public feelings in Europe.
Uploads
Papers by Adam Szymanski