by Thomas Bargatzky
An opinion article published on 14 June 2017 in Turkish online newspaper Hürriyet Daily News, makes a strong case for a rapprochement between Turkey and the EU. According to the author, political problems with the EU notwithstanding, bilateral economic and commercial relations are on the rise. In addition, not only the economy plays an important role. A rapprochement should be also in Turkey‘s interests with regard to the quality of democracy in Turkey. The author leaves no doubt that for him, „Turkey’s future is in Europe – nowhere else“[1].
This opinion is amazing, and this not just against the backdrop of the recent rapid deterioration of relationships between Turkey and the EU. Relations between Turkey and Germany in particular deteriorate almost hourly. Westen elites, and especially German ones, fail to understand, however, that this is partly a result of their attitude toward Turkey. In 1987, Turkey made her application to accede to the European Economic Community. Status as a candidate for full membership of the European Community (EU) was granted in 1999. As a result of President Erdogan’s victory in the constitutional referendum in April 2017, accession negotiations have stopped. Hence, Turkey has now been kept waiting for thirty years.
Turkey may not accept to be stalled for more years to come. If so, the world may be at the threshold of a revolutionary realignment of the relations between the major state actors – a realignment which will shake the foundations of the power structure which has been in place since the end of the Cold War. Turkey may well play a major part in this process, since she holds the keys to the realignment in her hands.
The focus of the article presented lies on the role of Turkey in a possible – and necessary – shift in the power structure of the Near and Middle East and its impact upon EU and NATO. Current internal political problems of Turkey, which can only be solved by the Turkish people, are not dealt with.
Europe – A „Christian Club“?
Turkey should become aware that she will be never become a full member of the EU. The reason for the refusal, however, is not due to the EU being a „Christian Club“, as some Turkish journalists and politicians would maintain. It is true that religion and European integration have been inextricably linked in the beginning of this process, and it is true, too, that there are still Christians in Europe who take their religion seriously. As a political force, however, Christianity in Europe is dead, at least in Northern and Western Europe, owing to a rapid radical secularization and the waning power of the Christian Churches to reach out to the people. It has become fashionable in elite circles, internet platforms and the mainstream media in the West, to make fun of Christianity. It is considered to be an indicator of an enlightened state of mind to pile rubbish on Christian symbols and holy names.
In Germany, for example, the Lutherstadt Wittenberg made a proposal in 2012 to bestow her Luther Award on the obscure Russian punk rock group „Pussy Riot“ for their „courage“ to speak out against President-elect Vladimir Putin. The group, as is well known, had offended believers by obscene words and acts,[2] desecrating the symbol of Russia’s post-communist turning to Orthodoxy, Moscow’s rebuilt Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The original Cathedral was dynamited by the communists in 1931, and it is hard to believe that it should be a coincidence that this Cathedral was the target for the degenerate acts hailed by western „democracy“ advocates.[3] Western mainstream media would express concern, not about the disgraceful acts of the group, but about the „suppression of the freedom of expression“ in Russia. Als long as it goes against Russia and Putin, all stops are removed.
The proposal of the Lutherstadt Wittenberg met with protests, though, and the award was not conferred, but the whole process testifies to the pathetic cluelessness of parts of the Lutheran Church in Germany. The Roman Catholic Church in Germany does not yet indulge in celebrating offensive and sacrilegious acts as manifestations of free speech, this Church, however, is no less clueless than the Lutheran Church concerning essentials, as became evident in October 2016. Visiting the Temple Mount, Cardinal Reinhard Marx and Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, the preeminent Catholic and Protestant representatives of the two major Churches in Germany, removed their crosses in a show of overeagerness to comply with the presumptive wishes of their Muslim hosts.[4] With pastors like these, German Christians may as well consider turning to the Orthodox Churches which might better serve their spiritual needs. Furthermore, Pope Franciscus‘ posture to become a politician pleading for unlimited Muslim immigration into Europe will accelerate the estrangement from their Church which has befallen many Catholics in Germany, and elsewhere in Europe.[5]
Developments in the USA during the past two decades also testify to a confusion concerning the Christian roots of Western society. „Temples“ and monuments are devoted to the worship of Satan. Obscenity accompanies blasphemy: The Los Angeles-based Tom of Finland Foundation awarded its grand prize for artistic expression in 1996 to a drawing by an artist named Garilyn Brune. It shows a priest performing fellatio on the crucified Jesus.[6] This goes on till today, with the movie industry contributing its fair share.[7] All of this is tolerated and even celebrated in the West as demonstration of religious freedom and the freedom of the arts and expression.[8]
Family and Nation under attack by radical secularism
These are no single events. Moreover, public acceptance and elite celebration of such artistic and social swamp flowers in the Western World indicate a general loss of religious and cultural roots.[9] Europe, too, is no longer a „Christian Club“.
Furthermore, the axe is laid unto the roots of family and society in the West. In Germany, for example, the youth organization of the Green Party – the political party which has portrayed itself as a main sponsor of Turkish interests in Germany – demands the abolishment of traditional marriage and its replacement by multi-person groups.[10] The USA, however, is one step ahead: The American organization „Marry Your Pet“ offers advice to persons who want to enter matrimony with their pet.[11] Not a hoax, I am afraid, as some would maintain, And sooner or later, any fad which is invented in the USA will become popular in Europe, too.
What is more, the the principle of state sovereignty in the Western World is under attack by the Empire.[12] Peter Sutherland, former Chairman of Goldman Sachs and UN Special Representative for International Migration, said in an Interview that the EU should undermine the national homogeneity of its member states.[13]
It is hard to imagine that the Turkish people would feel at home in such a moral and mental environment. Turkey would never submit to such agendas. The same applies to Russia, by the way: Western lifestyle-elites hate Russia and President Putin for the same reasons they would never allow Turkey to become a member of the EU.
And as far as the “quality of democracy” in Europe is concerned, a veiled one-party system has evolved in Germany. With the exception of the left-wing party “Die Linke”, all the political parties in the German Parliament – the Bundestag – are in general agreement with the politics of Chancellor Angelika Merkel. While being strictly against military adventurism and the deployment of German troops to fight abroad, however, the “Linke” is wavering as far as the refugee crisis is concerned. Parts of them also cave in the political correctness of the day. To disagree in public with her course in the refugee crisis, for example, may be branded as “right-wing” in the mainstream media. It may invite censorship, intimidation, even loss of job. People are afraid to speak out. This has been confirmed recently by a comprehensive study of the treatment of the refugee crisis by German mainstream media.[14] Freedom of speech, a pre-requisite for democracy, is in jeopardy.
The new Western “World Order”
Undermining the nation state and traditional moral and social values in the West goes way back into the 60s of the past century, but the recent new boost results from the transformation of the multi-polar Cold War-era into the unipolar world dominated by Washington and the transnational “corporatocracy”[15]. After the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the West was seized by fits of an unrelenting triumphalism. US-President George H.W. Bush announced a „new world order“ guided by the „American Way of Life“, underwritten by world-wide American power projection.[16] Military power should be supported by American soft power through culture, to make the re-modelling of the rest of the world more palatable. According to Zbigniew Brzezinski, American culture is a tool for the promotion of American economic and political interests:
“Cultural domination has been an underappreciated facet of American global power. Whatever one may think of its aesthetic values, America’s mass culture exercises a magnetic appeal, especially on the world’s youth. Its attraction may be derived from the hedonistic quality of the lifestyle it projects, but its global appeal is undeniable. American television programs and films account for about three-fourths of the global market. American popular music is equally dominant, while American fads, eating habits, and even clothing are increasingly imitated worldwide. The language of the Internet is English, and an overwhelming proportion of the global computer chatter also originates from America, influencing the content of global conversation. Lastly, America has become a Mecca for those seeking advanced education, with approximately half a million foreign students flocking to the United States, with many of the ablest never returning home. Graduates from American universities are to be found in almost every Cabinet on every continent”[17].
Culture as a weapon to secure American global power has been a very efficient tool in the building of the “new world order”, its impact is hard to beat. Western hard power and soft power notwithstanding, there is a growing resistance in the non-Western world against political and cultural domination, which has found in Islam a way to express itself. Re-Islamization in Turkey and the waning influence of secular Kemalism are Turkish expressions of this universal trend. European political elites are nonplussed and irritated by the rise to power of President RecepTayyip Erdogan and the AKP.
Changing the course of history?
Not only EU-Turkey relations have reached a crossroads. Relations between Turkey and the West in general have unfolded in a way which may urge Turkey to reconsider and readjust her military, economic, and foreign policy alliance with the West. The USA supports the outlawed Kurdish Worker’s Party (PKK) through its Syrian wing, the People’s Protection Unit (YPG), with heavy weapons and ammunition and military training. Turkey’s concerns that Syrian militants might establish terrorist enclaves on the Turkish side of the border are ignored. Germany depicts Turkey as an unsafe country for its tourists and investors. Germany’s imperious behaviour, in particular, is rankling Turkey’s sensitivity. Turkish politicians and commentators would agree that Germany owes Turkey and President Erdogan gratitude, because in 2015 Turkey took drastic steps to stem the flow of refugees from Syria across the Aegaen Sea to the Greek islands.[18]
Israel and Germany serve as America’s foot-soldiers and watchdogs. Israel’s task is to keep Muslims in the Middle East in their place. In the same vein, Germany’s task is to keep European states in their place inside the EU, and Turkey in its place outside Europe. Turkey, while being useful as a member of NATO, is just too big, powerful and conservative to be of use in converting Europe into a platform from which to project power and cultural revolution into the Eurasian land mass.
Russia and Turkey emerge as natural allies against the backdrop of ever-increasing and more and more desperate Western attempts to maintain hegemony in a unipolar world. Increasing cooperation with Russia such as in the deal with Moscow for the S-400 defense systems by the end of 2017, marks a step forward toward diversifying Turkey’s options. Turkish accession to the Eurasian Customs Union would also mark a decisive step in the direction of an enlargement of Turkey’s options.[19] And as far as bilateral economic and commercial relations with Europe and the West in general are concerned, the West’s habit to “freeze” (that is, to steal) economic and financial assets of disobedient countries and its key representatives for the sake of the promotion of “freedom”, “human rights” etc. has become all too obvious in recent years.
Yet it is not only cooperation with Russia which would increase Turkey’s room for manoeuvre vi-à-vis the Western powers. The entry of India and Pakistan into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in June 2017 is tantamount to re-shuffling the cards for the new “Great Game” over influence and resources in Eurasia. If Turkey decides to exit NATO and to join an expanded SCO, it will be part of an alliance that now represents roughly half of humanity and probably more than 25% of global GDP.[20] Such a step by Turkey would mark a watershed in the course of post-Cold War history. Others might follow, and this would seriously weaken the West’s capability to wage endless wars for “democracy” and “Western values”, to foster “regime change” and support “color revolutions”. Turkey may have it in her hands to dramatically change the course of history. All things considered, the country may well come to the conclusion that her future is in Eurasia and the SCO – nowhere else.
- Murat Yetkin: Turkey’s future is in Europe – nowhere else. Hurriyet Daily News, June 14, 2017. http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkeys-future-is-in-europe–nowhere-else.aspx?PageID=238&NID=114299&NewsCatID=409 ↑
- Bernd Lähne: Lutherpreis für Pussy Riot? Vorschlag der Stadt Wittenberg stößt auf Empörung. Leipziger Volkszeitung (Online)., October 7, 2012. https://www.change.org/p/vergabe-des-lutherpreis-das-unerschrockene-wort-an-polit-kritische-punk-band-pussy-riot ↑
- James George Jatras: Death of a Nation. Strategic Culture Foundation August 17, 2017. ↑
- Jan Fleischhauer: Die Unterwerfung. Spiegel Online, November 7, 2016. http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/christentum-und-islam-die-unterwerfung-kolumne-a-1120073.html ↑
- Corrado Ocone: „Bergoglio vuole fare politica, il Vangelo non c’entra nulla“. Il Mattino, July 9, 2017; Niccolò Magnani: Marcello Pera vs Papa Francesco / „Bergoglio fa politica, è in atto uno schisma nella Chiesa“. Ilsussidiario,net, July 10, 2017; http://www.ilsussidiario.net/News/Cronaca/2017/7/10/Marcello-Pera-vs-Papa-Francesco-Bergoglio-fa-politica-e-in-atto-uno-scisma-nella-Chiesa-/773071/. ↑
- https://tomoffinlandfoundation.org/foundation/Dispatch/PDF/dispSU96.pdf ↑
- Lindsay Kornick: AMC’s „Preacher“ Opens With Graphic Jesus Sex Scene, Closes With Inbred Messiah. mrcNewsBuster, August 21, 2017. https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/culture/lindsay-kornick/2017/08/21/preacher-opens-jesus-sex-scene-closes-inbred-messiah ↑
- Thomas Bargatzky: Die Konservativen und der Islam. Geolitico, July 27, 2017. http://www.geolitico.de/2017/07/27/die-konservativen-und-der-islam/ ↑
- Joseph Ratzinger, Marcello Pera: Without Roots. The West, Relativism, Christianity, Islam. – New York: Casic Books, 2007. ↑
- http://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/kisslers-konter/kisslers-konter-die-verstoerenden-sex-fantasien-der-gruenen-jugend_aid_1096777.html ↑
- www.marryyourpet.com. ↑
- David Chandler: From Kosovo to Kabul. Human Rights and International Intervention. – London: Pluto Press, 2006. ↑
- „EU should ‚undermine national homogeneity‘ says UN migration chief. BBC News, June 21, 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-18519395 ↑
- Jochen Bittner: Flüchtlinge in den Medien. Mit dem Strom. Zeit Online, July 19, 2017. http://www.zeit.de/2017/30/fluechtlinge-medien-berichterstattung-studie ↑
- John Perkins: The Secret History of the American Empire. – New York: Penguin/Plume, 2007. ↑
- Andrew J. Bacevich: Washington Rules. America’s Path to Permanent War. – New York: Metropolitan Books, 2010. ↑
- Zbigniew Brzezinski: The Grand Chessboard. Amarican Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives. – New York: Basic Books, 1997, p. 25. ↑
- Ilnur Cevik: Germany owes Turkey, Erdogan deep gratitude. Daily Sabah, July 25, 2017. https://www.dailysabah.com/columns/ilnur-cevik/2017/07/26/germany-owes-turkey-erdogan-deep-gratitude ↑
- „Economy Minister: Turkey eyes Eurasian Customs Union“. Daily Sabah, August 18, 2917. https://www.dailysabah.com/economy/2017/08/19/economy-minister-turkey-eyes-eurasian-customs-union ↑
- Seema Sengupta: Bigger Shanghai Cooperation Orgabnization may be game-changer. Asia Times, June 5, 2017. http://www.atimes.com/article/bigger-shanghai-cooperation-organization-may-game-changer/ Dr. Thomas Bargatzky is professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Bayreuth, Germany. He is an observer of international power politics and has published on topics of security politics in journals and the internet. He recently finished a book (in German) on the NATO-war against Libya in 2011. He can be reached by his website www.thomas-bargatzky.jimdo.com ↑
Excellent article with fresh and interesting point of views. It´s so true that US cultural influence has been really important factor in building of the Empire. About Israels role in the ME it´s always the question: will the dog wag the tail, or tail wag the dog? God only knows. But I do hope that Turkey makes the right choice and turns to Eurasia, where they culturally belong. And to other commenters: please, don´t start that rant about Erdogan, it´s so boring.
Turkey, after Stalin eyed the Turkish straits and north eastern Turkey, decided to join a pack of hyenas, a mafia if you will.
If you attempt to leave them, they’ll turn on you.
So Turkey has to plan its steps carefully.
They are already setting up the Kurds as a nuisance and a new AngloZionist base
Turkey, being a mature economy, though still developing, is being turned to Eurasia by Western rejection and the changed ME geopolitics.
Turkey has taken on some new roles for itself in defying Israel, Saudi Arabia and the US.
Its gains with the Turkish Stream, with Russia’s S-400 missile defense purchase, and with a working accord among the winning side in Syria (Iran, Russia, Hezbollah and Syria) afford it an inflection away from EU, US and NATO.
Most importantly, it now has allies who will work diplomatically and militarily to control the Kurdish ambitions in Iraq and Syria. Turkey never had that before, but now Russia, Iraq, Iran and Syria all are against Kurdish independence and US arming of the Kurd factions.
Though Erdogan is capable of screwing up badly, Turkey is on the edge of great progress and growth in the ME, Eastern Mediterranean, Central Asia and all of Eurasia (especially because of language and connection of the Turkic peoples in many lands).
Russia salvaging Erdogan’s regime has led it to an opportune moment with great opportunities.
“Israel and Germany serve as America’s foot-soldiers and watchdogs.”
Wrong. Germany and America are more like israel’s pawns, given the influence of the zpc in the “west”.
Also this is manifested in the way religion is treated in the zionazified west. While Christianity gets criticised and ridiculed, Muslims are literally demonised. But guess which religion and ethnic grouping are never allowed to be criticised in any way?
Yeah, you guessed it, Judaism and Jews. And which group has more influence in media, entertainment and the arts in the west? Yeah, another no brainer. To see how this influence works one need just look at who is allowed to criticize religion in the zionazified west. Muslims are only allowed to criticize Islam. Christians can criticize Christianity and Islam. Jews get full rights to criticize any religion. Noboby is allowed to criticize Judaism but Jews. See how it ranks here? This is how power is ordered in the west now.
Yet the author of this article completely failed to note the role judaiosupremicism has in modern western culture and how this role has been gradually nourished to the level now where it dominates.
Furthermore the role of zionazi psywar to effect population control in their western colonies promoting a secularization of society in Europe, the very negative role the Christian religious establishment played in European society also has a strong role in its own undoing. This role has been to consistently reinforce oligarch power over the people and help them repress the people there. “The church” was part of the repression and a main factor holding back intellectual, societal and scientific advancement in Europe.
Naturally, when people began breaking the feudal chains, they also began questioning the institutions that bound them. In that aspect, the failure of Christian religion in Europe also is a result of the church’s own failure to represent what the religion supposedly was. The religion failed the people and became a tool of their overlords in suppressing the people. When people began seeking independence, “the church” continued with backing their repression. Example: the Catholic Church has backed every fascist political movement. This continues today.
The moral decay in society is not the result of secularism, it is the result of totally corruped and perverse societal institutions, the religious ones in particular, who betrayed the people. It’s not the other way around, the people failing the institutions, as portrayed in these right wing polemics.
The zionazi psywar specialists recognised people’s dissatisfaction with their religious institutions and are using towards their own population control ends.
Regarding turkey, europe’s loss is Asia’s gain. Turkey historically has been a crossroads, a role I speculate they want to continue.
A very good article. However, I must disagree with the stipulation that Turkey was not admitted into the EU because the EU is a Christian “club”. That’s precisely the reason it was not admitted, all the more so because the Turks cannot forget the Ottoman empire, using their compatriots in Europe to further their imperial agenda, as shown in Belgium, where Turks were encouraged to have more children and become a political factor in the country. On the other hand, it is natural that Turkey and Russia should become allies, as neither have forgotten their culture and roots. Christianity in Western Europe is, at the moment, falling in importance, while in Russia it is on the rise. The elite in the West is trying to destroy the cultural base of the entire Continent with their “globalist” outlook. As for the US attempt to use American culture in order to create a “new world order”, that is bound to fail. American culture is basically an interpretation of European culture, and the US cannot possible hope to succeed in exporting their interpretation of something which already exists, and which is inferior to that which already exists. Proof of this lies in the fact that the rest of the world is turning against the Washington political establishment which, together with Wall Street, has acquired imperial tastes. The world quite simply cannot accept the fact that a former colony should end up impersonating Imperial Rome. And finally, that article in the Hurriyet Daily News is utter nonsense. The EU Central Bank is printing 80 billion euros a month backed by nothing in order to keep the EU going, and this cannot last for ever, nor can the EU possibly survive. Even the French are now in financial difficulties, while others are in an even worse shape.
Thank you for the comment. – Re “Christian Club”: This term has been used first by Necmettin Erbakan, I believe, and repeated since by diverse politicians and journalists, as a reproach: The EEC/EU was not ready to accept Turkey, because it wants to remain a “Christian Club”. Turkish leaders and journalists are mistaken to identify Europe’s Christian legacy as a reason for the failed attempt to become a full member, on account of the reasons outlined in my article. My opinion is that this has never been a serious cause, Any reference to Europe’s Christian heritage by European politicians can only be a pretext.
This article has been obviously written by someone not so familiar with recent developments in Turkey and the region. Besides some of the assertions are outright wrong like “Israel and Germany serve as America’s foot-soldiers and watchdogs.” This is a classical Noam Chomsky style of reverse thinking IMO. I think Israel is not the foot soldier of US, but quite the reverse. US congress, US middle east meddling policies, neocons and their powerful lobbies etc. provide abundant evidence for this fact.
Secondly, the article of Hurriyet Daily should be taken with a grain of salt. It is a well known fact that this paper is a globalist and atlantist paper with close ties to US elitist lobbies. It is a paper similar to Spiegel in Germany or let say Guardian of Britain or NYT of US. Don’t expect much to come out of those.
The author also spent considerable amount of the article to describe the decadency of Europe and Christianities demise, which has little to do with Turkey.
There was an excellent interview with Dogu Perincek (leader of Vatan Party, a rising kemalist, secularist power in Turkey) a few days ago, who said that “Turkey is parting away from Atlanticists, not because of the preferences and wishes of political parties, but the geopolitical realities and regional enforcements”. This single sentence describes quite a lot IMO. Turkey has NO choice left but to join Euroasia, if she wants to survive as a whole. This is similar to Syria, Iran and even Russia. “Realpolitik” is making all of these countries to come together, which will shape the “new” Middle East (birth pranks of the Middle East, if you will).
Also the assertion, that Erdogan’s existence being a reaction of the Turkey’s conservatives against the decadency of Europe and its values, is false. Erdogan and his gang was put in power by the western globalist powers in the first place under the pretext of “soft” islam, which basically translates to “American” islam (One can make a search in google to see that soft islam was the very heart of shaping the middle east according to the Greater Middle East Project of the US). Erdogan was a willing patsy in this game and in one of his early TV appereances around 2002 he was actually bragging about the “Greater Middle East” project and how Turkey can play the role of the leader within this western designed scheme. Until he split up with Fetullah Gulen, (the head of the religious Gulen movement and a CIA agent in disguise,who lives in Pennsylvania US) in 2011-2012, starting after the “Mavi Marmara” incident, he was an avid follower of every single US policy in the region.
Today, in the eyes of the US and to be more precise, the globalists elites, Erdogan is an unstable loose cannon or a spent toilet paper and must go. The July 15, 2016 military coup attempt was a brazen display of this intention. All the facts on the ground point to one obvious culprit, namely the US deep state. Gulenist structure within the army was utilized to pull through this attempt. Erdogan realized the ending of his relations with the west rather late and his last visit about 6 months ago to the US to meet Trump was his last resort to mend the bridges with the American administration. Unfortunately for him, the meeting lasted only 20 minutes and he left the white house empty handed. That must have been the point that Turkey finally decided to break up with the US and align with the east. The evidence is overwhelming. Erdogan was calling Iran the Persian expansionists not so long ago, now he will be visiting Iran in the coming days, following the visit of Iran’s head of army (a first since 1979 revolution). He was calling Saudi King a brother, now he has aligned with Qatar against Saudi Arabia. His then-prime minister Davutoglu bragged about shooting down the Russian fighter jet, now Russia is giving S400 defence missile systems to Turkey. Turkey stopped arms shipments to Syria and stopped the support of terrorist groups thanks to the eastern rapprochement.
I have no doubt whatsoever that there is no way that Turkey will go back to the west and this is not up to Erdogan or anyone else, but the realities of existentialist threats and geopolitics will do the job.
Even myself, as a Turk, couldn’t have summerized the last decade this well. Congrats. But you are half-correct in one aspect. Erdogan’s shelve life hasn’t expired yet. Don’t be so quick to conclude that he’s spent. He has an ability to sell himself very well. Until he precisely turns on americans, like Saddam did, they will work with him, and he is willing to go to work for them. His family accumulated a great wealth during his reign, and in the event of a new government there is a risk of him being put into trial for that. He’s a survivalist without any moral compass, and has too much at stake, which is the risk for Russia. You can never fully trust a man who is willing to serve the highest bidder
I disagree. Die Linke is not the only party fighting the mainstream. AFD is also fighting the mainstream.
Correct. But I refer to the “parties in the German Parliament” (the “Bundestag”). The AFD (“Alternative für Deutschland”) is not yet a member of the Bundestag. This will change with the next election this month, of course, provided that there will be no massive manipulation of the results.
This article is targeted to people ignorant of the current situation in Turkey. It attempts to present Turkey as a poor victim in the region, a victim of unwarranted discrimination and hate. Despite the fact that Turkey is the international bully who tries to subdue all its neighbours with threats and fear, and even supresses their own population with violence.
As a Greek person, i am not as ignorant as US citizens about Turkey. Let me tell you why Turkey does not belong in EU:
1) Turkey illegally occupies 40% of an EU member: Cyprus. They are refusing to withdraw their troops, they want to enter EU without having resolved this issue.
2) They have threated with a Cassus Belli another EU member, Greece. The reason? They want Greece to not excercise its territorial rights based on international law. Turkey is in the wrong here, but it doesn’t matter to them, they still are threatening with a war.
3) Turkey violently supresses their minorities and any political opponents. They violate Kurd human rights constantly. They are even bombing Turkish cities on which the population is mostly Kurdish. Gee, great EU candidate, a country which bombs its own citizens…
4) Turkey constantly violates its neighbours’ borders. Whether it is their ships and aircraft violating Greek borders every day (and costing our weak economy millions to intercept them), or their troops invading Syria/Iraq without permission, they are not a country which respects other countries. But i think this is not a problem for US people, after all US is the no1 disrespectful country in the world in that regard.
5) Turkey supresses political and religious freedoms. They are is no free speech in that country. Anyone who even dares to write that Erdogan’s haircut is silly, will got to jail indefinitely. EU is supposed to be about democracy (they are not, but at least for appearences). How current Turkey fits this picture?
6) Turkey promotes the goals of ISIS. There have been plenty of evidence suggesting Turkey having assisted ISIS in the past. Furthermore, Erdogun’s ultimate goal is the resurrection of the Ottoman Empire. He and his associates are very clear in that regard. He is even building his massive army for that goal. Why does he need so many armaments? Who threatens Turkey? No one in the region has the power to invade Turkey, so why does he need so many jets and ships and tanks?
7) Turkey has been assisting human trafficers smuggle illegal immigrants in Greece for decades. It is not a recent development. And no, Turkey hasn’t reduced the immigrant flow, like your lying media tell you. Immigrants still arrive in Greece every single day. Of course, Turkey still pocketed the EU money for stopping them, but hey, this is Turkey for you…
There are many other things one could write about modern Turkey, like their refusal to recognize the massive genocides of Armenians and Greeks they commited in the 20th century for example, the witchhunt of Erdogun’s political opponents, or the unlawful unrest of EU citizens, but i think what i wrote is enough already…
So tell us again how Turkey is a victim of EU “discrimination”. Please tell us how modern Turkey is a “victim” and “misunderstood”. Tell us how the nasty NATO and EU “bullies” are harming poor Turkey.
Did a Turk write this article? Oh and by the way, Hurriet is a mouthpiece for Erdogun. Try finding a more decent source please.
In my article, I put forward a geostrategical argument in favour of Turkey’s exit from NATO and her turning to Russia and the SCO, Next, I show that the claim that Turkey is not welcome in the EU because the EU is a “Christian Club” is bunk.
You make use of this argument as a starting point for Turkey-bashing and enumerate Turkey’s misdeeds during the past 100 years and some, and you claim that it is on account of this behaviour that Turkey is unfit for full EU-membership.
This argument is beside the point. I suggest you make a list of today’s 28 EU-members and write down the instances of military aggression, harrassing of neighbours, repression at home, ethnic cleansing, regime change, human rights violations etc., in which these states have been involved over the past 100 years. Well, let’s leave out Malta and Luxemburg, and the Baltic states. There is no need to let me know the result of your inverstigation. I already know it.
What is more, nine EU member states participated in the illegal and criminal NATO-war on Libya in 2011.: Belgium, Bulgaria, Danmark, France, Greece, The Netherlands, Romania, Spain, and the UK. Air attacks were flown by Belgium, Danmark, France, and the UK. Greece and Turkey were brothers in arms during this war, by the way.
The report of the British House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, published on 14 September 2016, states: “”By the summer of 2011, the limited intervention to protect civilians had drifted into an opportunistic policy of regime change … The result was political and economic collapse, inter.militia and inter-tribal warfare, humanitarian and migrant crises, widespread human rights violations” (p.3). Scholars on International Law claim that the NATO-war is a Nuremberg-case.
The EU is not the Community of Saints you seem to believe it is. And, finally, no – I am not Turkish. And if I were, I fail to see how this would affect the validity of my argument.
Please refrain from personalizing arguments in the future.
PS: I regret I forgot to mention Italy as a member state of the EU who also participated militarily in the NATO-war on Libya. This would increase the number of EU states to ten.
Greece never participated in Libya war. Greek politicians avoid participating in offensive NATO wars for decades, and our only participation is token only. We provide for the US the base on Crete which we are bound by contract to do so, and we sometimes offer a token military unit that most of the time is engineers or something similar.
But that is besides the point. The point is that NATO attacked Libya, NOT EU, which is the main point that just flew over your head completely. Just because some NATO members overlap with EU members doesn’t mean EU had any part in this, as a union. If that was the case, then ALL EU states would have participated.
I fail to see the logic in the argument that NATO attacking Libya has anything to do with EU.
I am sorry but your anti-EU sentiment is clear, and you are desperately trying to portray Turkey as a victim of unfair discrimination.
You are ready to dismiss more than 100 years of Turkey aggression and your main argument is the Lybia war?