Turkey holds a pivotal position in today's global landscape: it stands as the sole predominantly Muslim member of NATO and maintains a strategic partnership with Israel, while geographically spanning the divide between Europe and Asia. Acting as a bridge between Islamic culture and Western democratic ideals, as well as linking Europe with the Middle East, Turkey plays a multifaceted role. Andrew Finkel, an experienced journalist with two decades of experience covering Turkey for esteemed publications like The Economist and Time magazine, delves into the intricate dynamics of the nation. Finkel juxtaposes the contemporary complexities and shifts within Turkey against its rich historical tapestry, encompassing the legacy of the Ottoman Empire, the transformative secular nationalist movement spearheaded by Kemal Atatürk, and the recurrent interference in politics by the military, which perceives itself as the custodian of Atatürk's principles. Finkel unveils Turkey as a land replete with unexpected developments. He points out the paradox of secularist liberals backing a prime minister previously incarcerated for advocating religious extremism, showcasing the country's nuanced political landscape. Covering topics ranging from the Kurdish dilemma to economic strategies, from Turkey's involvement in Iraq to its aspirations for EU accession, Finkel offers insights into the past and present of this distinctive and profoundly influential nation
European enough to be part of the European Union (after recollecting that not a square inch of EU-member Cyprus is in geographic Europe) is that it is too late to change the rules of the game. The 1963 Ankara Agreement recognizes Turkey as a European nation and allows for eventual membership. Pacta sunt servanda treaties are to be obligated, not just Turks but many Europeans themselves would argue. Turkey points to its role as a founder member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the (non-EU) Council of Europe, which administers the European Court of Human Rights. Turkish football teams not only play in European championships, but an Istanbul side Galatasaray beat Arsenal in 2000 to win the UEFA cup. And if that is not proof enough of its European credentials, a Turkish pop star, Sertap Erener, won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2003 with a very Euro-pop ditty called Every Way That I Can. Nonetheless, it might be useful to explore the logic behind Turkeys appl
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Turkey is just too big a country for Europe to ignore. Turkey is already Europes fi fth-largest export market, and those in favor of Turkish entry are eager to stress the win-win of incorporating a fertile market for goods and fi nancial services contiguous to Europes boundaries. Cooperation with NATO-member Turkey is important for European security as well as for Europes ability to control the traffi c in drugs and illegal migrants that pass through Turkey. Turkish fi gures put the number of Turks living in Europe at 3.1 million, but estimates of ethnic Turks with European citizenship suggest that fi gure is much higherpossibly fi ve million (the population of Denmark). This means that in countries like Germany, where there is now a third generation and even a fourth generation in the wake of the fl ux of a Turkish and ethnic Kurdish workforce, what happens in Turkey is very much an issue of domestic politics. Turkish nationalists may argu
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By contrast, the view that dominates the European Commission is that Brussels has everything to gain from a stable, prosperous Turkey and much to lose from one that is volatile and outside Europes ambit. Europe needs Turkey and vice versa. Unfortunately (as it demonstrated during the breakup of Yugoslavia), having a unifi ed foreign policy is not what Europe does best. The one strategy it has successfully pursued is that of enlargementa process of voluntary regime change that rewarded Spain, Portugal, and Greece for shaking off dictatorship and that was instrumental in shaping the destinies of the once-Sovietcontrolled countries of Eastern and Central Europe. It is a process that Brussels is now contemplating for Serbia and even Iceland. Croatias candidacy is well advanced. However, Europe eyes Turkey the way a boa constrictor does a
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The United Kingdom, among the most enthusiastic of Turkeys backers, is suspected of embracing so unwieldy an applicant nation because it would forever scupper the notion of a federal and politically cohesive Europe, something it fears and loathes.
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