Erdogan to EU: Let Turkey in or else

Now that the Soviet Union does not constitute a threat, and now that Erdogan is hellbent on dismembering Kemalism (using the very application to the EU as justification, and excuse, for depriving the army of some of its powers), Turkey can be seen more clearly.

Kemalism is not a permanent feature, but needs to be openly supported. Unfortunately, that stratum of Turkish society, possibly 1/4 to 1/2 of the population, that has benefited from the past 80 years of Kemalism, seems to take its freedoms for granted. It needs to be reminded that, but for Mustafa Kemal, the Islamic Republic of Iran, or Iraq, or Syria, or Egypt, or Saudi Arabia, or Algeria, are the likely models for what Turkey could be. The failure of some in the West, much lionized in Turkey, to emphasize both the benefits, and the fragility, of Kemalism, and to minimize what was achieved by underestimating as well what the real situation, for example, of non-Muslims was in Ottoman Turkey (refusing to call the Jihad agaisnt the Armenians a "genocide" did not do Turkey any favors, even if it helps to retain old friends).

Turkey will not be admitted to the E.U. It will not be admitted because, at this point, given the behavior mainly of Arab Muslims (for does anyone doubt that it was the Arab influence that caused some Chechens to embrace not only the idea of Jihad, but all of the current methods being used to further it), Europeans have lost their stomach for parroting phrases about the religion of "peace" and "tolerance." They do not want to admit a country of 70 million Muslims, who would then move freely about Europe. They do not want Turkey admitted because it will be an easy conduit for non-Turkish Muslims to enter Europe, posing as Turks. They do not want Turkey admitted because many of the new member states of the EU will join Greece in opposition -- in Bulgaria, if not elsewhere, the Bulgarian Massacres, and centuries of Ottoman rule, are remembered. And in Rumania. And in Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and so on.

Now it is up to the clear-sighted in the Western world to prepare adequately for this rejection --a rejection which is to be desired, from the viewpoint of Infidels. For the argument that only by being admitted to the European Union can Turkey retain its "secular" cast, and if it is kept out it will promptly turn to Saudi Arabia, is hollow blackmail. Turkey needs Western tourists, it needs Western markets, it needs Western military aid. It has been pushing its luck with the United States, and those who make policy are beginning to realize that "Kemalism" is not a given, and therefore Turkey, as an ally, is not a given -- on either side.

What would such a preparation consist of? It would be an effort, starting now, to indicate that the Turks, in looking for those to blame, should blame the Arabs and other Muslims who have "blackened the reputation of all Muslims." Turks of the Kemalist school should even now start to worry aloud, in print and on television, about how the behavior of Muslims has lead to second thoughts in Europe -- and why shouldn't it? In other words, the explanation for the rejection should put the blame squarely on those who have acted in the name of, and according to the tenets of, Islam. The rejection should be used not as Erdogan so clearly wishes to use it (and if there is no rejection, he will use that to strengthen the anti-Kemalist forces in Turkey as well -- he has cleverly planned to exploit the situation in either case), but to weaken him, to weaken the hold of Islam, to permit a rededication of those secularists who did not do enough -- just like all those Iranian leftists who thought they could remove the Shah, and then deal with Khomeini. They learned too late that there is no "dealing with Khomeini" or anyone else who can manipulate the power of Islam in a Muslim state; they would have done better to save the Shah's regime, and to make all efforts to have reformed it from within. Instead, they have had 25 years of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Surely those Turks who are now Western in outlook, even if they continue to call themselves "Muslim," realize that Erdogan is up to something, and that something is obvious, and that something needs to be opposed through the presentation of coherent argument. Above all, any joining in to his campaign to "blame the Christian West" for not permitting Turkey into the E.U. should be opposed. Blame Bin Laden, blame 9/11, Madrid, Beslan, blame a thousand other attacks and ten thousand would-be attacks, blame the behavior of the Finsbury Mosque imam, blame the Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia, blame the content of the khutbas in Riyadh, Jiddah, and elsewhere that are now known throughout the Western world, blame the actual content of Qur'an and hadith -- but whatever is done, make sure that secularism in Turkey does not suffer as Erdogan intends for it to suffer.

I would very much like to believe that the Eu will be sensible enough to keep turkey out. But repeated assaults on my beliefs in EU rationality have cast serious aspersions on this assumption.

I no longer believe the EU has the balls to resist any kind of coercive tactics (unless of course, they were American) including blackmail.

I explicitly believe in the doctrine of Karma - as you sow, so shall you reap. The Eu will get what's coming to it if only because they've themselves alone to blame.

I'm saddened at this plight of the once proud european nationa but am no longer sympathetic.

Why in the world would an 'Islamist' want EU membership so badly that he would threaten the EU to get it?

Is Erdogan simply doing his duty as the PM of Turkey in offering this threat? But that is absurd. This can in no reasonable way be interpreted as a political 'threat'. What sense would that make?

This threat only makes sense in the context of Erdogan's Islamism: this are an expression of his Islamic ambitions to attack Europe ideologically. 'Let us in or there will be trouble...' What trouble? Political? military? Come on. This is about ideology. And Erdogan must be upset because the ambition of spreading the ideology of Islam throughout the EU with millions of Muslim immigrants, Turkish and nonTurkish, unfettered by the Turkish military and Kemalism, is at risk.

With this threat he shows his hand...

to hugh: thanks for your perceptions on turkey. i might also point out that turkey has for several years had an ongoing liquidity crisis (not helped by the 1-to-1.5 million usd/turkish lira exchange rate). for turkey to pick up its economy, it needs foreign money poured into the country in the form of anything that puts cash in the hands of business people and bankers. in fact, the crisis is so bad that people with property are unable to leverage such property for loans since the turkish banks have too little cash on hand to lend and foreign banks consider turkey a very high risk. it also doesn't help that turkey has (last i knew) something like a 40% value-added tax for transactions that cross its borders.

potential erratum: the v.a.t. may be more like 32%. the 40% figure may be the loan interest rate for those very few who may accidentally run into a loan successfully.

AIR SPACE VIOLATIONS
2004

Minister ‘strict’ with Turks

The recent increases in Greek air space violations by Turkish warplanes, which included four incidents last week, “are not consistent with Greek-Turkish ties nor with Turkey’s European outlook,” Defense Minister Spilios Spiliotopoulos said on Saturday. “Everything is being monitored... But, it is a tactic that the government is handling very seriously and strictly,” Spiliotopoulos said in response to a reporter’s question.
----

Anger over air space
?Athens protests to EU over repeated Turkish infringements

Greece has stepped up its angry reaction to Turkish warplanes' increasing violations of Greek air space in the Aegean, warning that this would affect Ankara's efforts to join the EU. Athens has also briefed other organizations.

«We have presented evidence to NATO's military committee and permanent representatives. We have protested and provided evidence to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and we have decided that (Foreign Minister George) Papandreou should from now on regularly brief the European Commission, which is the competent institution to evaluate the behavior of countries that want to join the EU,» Foreign Ministry spokesman Panayiotis Beglitis told Athens's SKAI radio.

Papandreou presented a memorandum noting Turkish violations of Greek air space to the EU's commissioner for enlargement, Guenter Verheugen, in Brussels yesterday. He also raised the issue with his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul. The latest incidents include the harassment of two Greek warplanes on a bombing exercise between Lesvos and Lemnos on Tuesday. Gul, who also met with Verheugen yesterday, told Papandreou that he was not aware of the issue and would be briefed on his return to Ankara, diplomatic sources said. This appeared to support the theory in Greece that the Turkish military was working independently of its own government.

«The EU has repeatedly stressed that it insists that on Turkey's road toward Europe the (Turkish) military's role must change,» Papandreou told reporters.

Beglitis said Papandreou had raised the issue of Turkish violations of Greek air space in his last meeting with Gul earlier this month, while PM Costas Simitis had asked his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to end this practice when the two met on the sidelines of a Balkan conference in Belgrade on April 9. Beglitis said this was the first time the EU was being informed in writing, whereas Papandreou had repeatedly briefed Verheugen, Commission President Romano Prodi and his EU counterparts verbally.

Turkey's military claimed yesterday that Greek aircraft had harassed Turkish fighters in international air space on Tuesday. Athens notes there were 440 Turkish violations of its air space in 2000, 950 in 2001, 3,200 in 2002 and 1,530 2003 . Turkey recognizes six miles of Greek air space, not the 10 miles declared by Athens.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100024_13/09/2004_47226

Like most Muslim countries Turkey is poor - Vampires of Islam have few dhimmis to drain these days although they're sucking many E U countries -there are many more who KNOW what life under Ottoman Empire was like and will oppose their entry. Erdogan is, fortunately for Western Civilization, 'shooting himself in the foot' with his oppressive, blatantly Islamic Adultery Law.
EU needs Turkey [ with potential of 70 million Jidhadists] as much as a fish needs a bicycle...

Bush and Blair are traitors for wanting Turkey in the EU.

Thank goodness for the adultery law. It will wake Europeans up to the truth.

If Turkey gets into the EU, I'm going to encourage Haiti, Cuba, and Rwanda, for starters, to demand admission into the EU. Obviously, being European is not a requirement. And geography should not be an issue. That would be racist.

Voltaire: I agree. The ones pushing the most for Turkey's membership have been the British, the Israelis and the Americans, including the Bush administration. It is absolutely insane.

Going by mainland EU sentiment, Buish's and Blair's support for Turkish inclusion could well prove to be the proverbial kiss-of-death for Turkeyt's membership chances maybe/

Let France and Germany, displaying their habitual anti-anglo-saxonism reject turkey's application if only to spite the US and the USK....wishful thinking, eh?

voletti, I was just thinking the same thing as I was reading the comments here and was about to write similar comment to your own. Didn't Chirac get his knickers all twisted over this very thing just recently? Told Bush to basically butt out, it's not his business, and it would be like him (Chirac) telling Bush how to handle America's relationship with Mexico. I had a good laugh over that one. I can just imagine Chirac huffing and puffing, Gaelic-haughtiness in full bloom.

Who knows, maybe Bush did this on purpose. Reverse psychology, knowing that the way to keep Turkey out of the EU is to look like he's sticking his beak in. Not just the French get all snippy when the US makes a suggestion to countries - many Australians do too. Just typical anti-Americanism. It's the trendy way to be these days.

The irony of Turkey joining the EU is that europe has failed to intergrate the millions already there. As i understand it muslims in europe are much more socio-economically unsuccessful than all the other immigrant minorities and they seem to be behind most of the rampant anti-semitism in europe that just keeps getting worse each year. If europe can't cope with the turks and muslims already there why would any european want 10 times more of them? Especially when the turkish military will no longer be able to rein in those turks in western/central europe who are islamists. As far as I know the majority of (secular?) turks have on several occassions since the 1950's elected islamist governments into power...islamist governments radical enough to force their expulsion by the military. Didn't erdogan say something like "Our minnarrets will be are bayonets/missiles". Hmmm....guess who is meant to be bayonetted? ..it ain't muslims he wants to skewer.

Those with multiple language skills (esp Bulgaria and Greek) might want to consider translating Hugh's stuff into those languages and sending them to their respective immigration ministries.

Geoff