Geopolitical developments in the Middle East and the Black Sea region, Turkey's bid for EU membership, and the evolution of Turkey's experiment in democratic politics in a Muslim society all make Turkey a crucial country to both Europe and the United States, as well as to the region in which it is located. However, Turkey is generally treated peripherally within academic as well as bureaucratic institutions - on the edge of either Europe or Asia - but it is seldom taken as a focal point.