WHICH BEGS THE QUESTION:

Turkey and Europe: A muddle with global ramifications (Kirsty Hughes, August 23, 2007, International Herald Tribune)

In July, the country's political parties took part in a robust democratic electoral campaign. Turnout was high. And Turkish voters showed what they thought of the military's clumsy intervention in politics by returning Erdogan's Justice and Development Party with an increased majority with 46 percent of the vote.

Even before putting his cabinet in place, Erdogan announced that his advisers are working on a new civilian constitution to replace the military-inspired one of 1981. This bold move suggests that a confident, strong new government will now move fast on political reforms. A replacement for Article 301 can be anticipated. So can a less-hawkish stance on the south-east and any incursion into northern Iraq, supposedly much favored by Turkey's generals. Meanwhile, the economy is booming.

Where then is the European Union? Unfortunately, there is little sign of it gearing up its foreign policy to support democratic modernization of this key geostrategic neighbor and NATO ally. The new president on the block, Nicolas Sarkozy, made clear before and after his election his visceral opposition to allowing Turkey into Europe. And at the end of June, France blocked the opening of membership talks with Turkey on the euro - notionally on "technical" grounds but essentially because Sarkozy wants Turkey to have nothing more than a "privileged partnership" with Europe, never to be a full member of the club. Other member states shuffled their feet and talked nervously in response, but did nothing.

This autumn, the European Commission is expected to issue a fairly critical annual progress report on Turkey, given Turkey's reform standstill in the last year. But it is for Europe's leaders, not its bureaucrats to rise to the moment, and respond to the new positive political situation in Turkey. Europe's position should be clear: If Islam and democracy can go hand in hand, then so can Islam and Europe through Turkey's bid to join the club.

But the EU is in a mess - there is no chance of it making a robust restatement of Europe's commitment to Turkey's membership.

Why wish the EU upon the Turks when they could join NAFTA instead?

Posted by Orrin Judd at August 23, 2007 3:57 PM