The next round of the European Union enlargment pointeldly raises questions as to what are the far reaches of Europe, both in terms of geopolitics and civilisations, especially to the east and south of Europe. The great Eurasian states - Russia and Turkey - are the first concerned. For more than three centuries, it was in the territories of the two rival empires, which preceded modern Russia and Turkey, that several of the main conflicts which have greatly destabilised Europe took place.

Since the end of the Cold War and the break-up of the Soviet Union, many of those in the Turkish ruling circle have dreamed of taking revenge on their 'traditional enemy' in Muslim and Turkophone areas in the post-Soviet regions. This dream persists even today. But they go against the European aspirations of both Moscow and Ankara, encouraged simultaneously by the rapprochement of their economies and the radical redistribution of cards on the international chess board after the September 11th bombings which pushed these ancient rivals to search for reconciliation.