Turkey’s
EU Odyssey
By Dr Ahmad Faruqui
Danville, California
On October 3, the 25-member
European Union (EU) agreed to begin talks with
Turkey about its accession to the organization,
a process that may take ten to fifteen years.
The EU’s decision to open talks comes 42
years after Turkey first knocked on the door by
joining the European Economic Community (EEC)
as an associate member. But it was not until December
1999 that Turkey’s EU candidacy was recognized.
Recent opinion polls indicate that the vast majority
of Europeans in key countries are opposed to Turkey’s
participation. The strongest opposition is in
Austria, at 80 percent. This is followed by Germany,
with 74 percent and France and Greece, both with
70 percent opposed. In the UK, whose tourists
routinely go to Turkey for their summer holiday,
the opposition is much lower at 37 percent. For
EU as a whole, 52 percent are opposed. Not surprisingly,
European foot dragging has caused support for
the EU in Turkey to fall. It was over 70 percent
a year ago and is now down to 60 percent.
Why is there so much resistance in Europe to Turkey’s
joining the EU? After all, it has been a faithful
friend and ally of the West during the Cold War
and continues to serve as a loyal NATO partner.
It is the world’s most secular and liberal
Muslim democracy and even has diplomatic ties
with Israel. There are several barriers.
The primary barrier is what Austrian Chancellor
Wolfgang Schuessel has called a lack of EU’s
“absorption capacity.” By the year
2020, Turkey will be the biggest country in the
EU. It has a population of 72 million that is
growing at a rate of 1.5 percent a year. Its per
capita GDP is a third of the EU average and its
economy is heavily agrarian. Much of its Asian
territory is economically indistinguishable from
that of Iran, Iraq and Syria. Many Turks migrated
to Germany decades ago as guest workers, in search
of better economic conditions. The three million
who reside there today live in a “parallel
society.” Europeans, living in economies
with high unemployment rates, fear they might
be over-run one day by Turks looking for better
economic conditions.
There is also a perception that Turkey is only
nominally a European country, since only three
percent of Turkey’s land area is in Europe.
This overlooks the fact that much of Istanbul,
home to 12 million Turks, lies in Europe.
The leaders of both France and Austria have announced
plans to hold referendums on the topic of Turkey’s
accession before giving the green light to the
EU. They fear a voter backlash if they go against
the wishes of the electorate. Former French President,
Valery Giscard d’Estaing, has expressed
his apprehensions on the subject. More to the
point, incoming Germany Chancellor, Angela Merkel,
a Helmut Kohl protégée, has not
disguised her hostility towards Turkish membership.
While very few Europeans will admit it, they have
trepidations about Turks changing the strategic
culture of Europe. These fears go way back in
time to statements by leader of the Protestant
reformation, Martin Luther, who described the
Turks as “the people of the wrath of God”.
Such latent sentiments convey a fear that Europe
would be Islamized, with millions of women wearing
head scarves and millions of men sporting the
fez. Some have suggested that the Turks will seek
to impose traditional Islamic laws in Europe,
which is highly unlikely, since the Turks have
eliminated such laws in their own homeland.
Typical of the fear mongers is former EU commissioner
Frits Bolkestein who evoked long memories in December
by saying that Europe would be Islamized and “the
liberation of Vienna in 1683 (from a Turkish siege)
would have been in vain.” Austria, with
a population of 8 million, is still putting up
the biggest resistance. Suspicions of Turkey run
deep in Austria where some still recall proudly
how they saved Europe from the Ottoman Turks who
were assembled at the gates of Vienna in 1683.
Those with even longer memories remind others
of how they had beaten off the Ottoman Turks under
Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent in 1529.
Nevertheless, the world has changed enormously
since then. This point was driven home recently
by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi during a meeting
with the members of the Maltese community in Michigan:
“In 1565 Malta and the Knights saved Europe
from the Ottoman invasion. Yet today we support
Turkey’s bid to join the EU — provided
they improve their track record and fulfill all
entry requirements.” Being very conscious
of not stirring up ancient quarrels, after gaining
the EU’s nod on October 3, Turkish Foreign
Ministry officials asked Turkish newsmen to please
not write, “We have vanquished the Austrians!”
The process of applying for EU membership has
already generated benefits for Turkey’s
population, by serving as a catalyst for economic
and political reform in the country. The EU’s
rigorous demands are spelled out in thousands
of pages of legal documents and Turkey’s
conservative AKP party led by Prime Minister Erdogan
has undertaken ambitious reforms to begin meeting
them. These have weakened the power of the Turkish
military, which for decades was the strongest
“political party” in the Republic.
They have also reversed decades of corruption,
political as well as financial. Minorities such
as 14 million Kurds, have regained their political
and cultural rights. It is important to note that
on some issues Turkey has led Europe. For example,
Turkish women were allowed to vote in 1930, while
French women did not get that right until 14 years
later.
If the EU rejects Turkey, it will have consequences
far beyond the borders of Turkey. Terrorists will
cite it as evidence that Europe, despite a secular
veneer, is Christian to the core and is still
carrying on the fight that was started by the
Crusaders in the 11th century.
Recognizing this, US secretary of state Condoleeza
Rice has warned, “We cannot afford to have
a divide between Muslim Turkey and multi-religious
but Christian Europe.” And British foreign
secretary Jack Straw, who holds the EU’s
presidency, has voiced a concern that Turkey’s
rejection could trigger a clash of civilizations.
One hopes that the EU leaders will have the foresight
and conviction to eventually bring Turkey into
their fold. With a fast growing economy, a young
workforce and more than half of its trade already
with the EU, Turkey can help Europe compete in
world markets and improve its standard of living.
But even more importantly, by laying a bridge
between civilizations, the EU will make a major
contribution to world peace.
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