Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Talking Turkey

There has been little attention in the British media about the developments in Turkey. Der Spiegel has an article about the battle between the more or less Islamist AKP, the party in power and the Kemalists. The newspaper is not precisely objective for two reasons.

Many of the Kemalists tend to be highly sceptical about Turkey joining the European Union, something no aspirant country is allowed to be. On the other hand, a political turmoil in that country will be a gift to both the French and the German governments who want to keep Turkey out.

Whether a constitutional and political upheaval in the one secularist and democratic Muslim country is a good thing for the region or the rest of the world is questionable. But who cares as long as the EU does not have to worry about its membership?

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