Views of people from Turkey and Holland on statements made by Newsweek journalist Fareed Zakaria, Turkish president Abdullah Gül and prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the Dutch VPRO documentary ‘Turkije – Het Dilemma van de Democratie’: ‘Turkey – the dilemma of democracy’ that was broadcast on 8th of October. Daily at Sargasso from October 5th until October 12th, at 13.00h (Amsterdam time, 14.00h Istanbul time). This blogging project is part of the Dutch democracy week WijZijnDeBaas (WeAreTheBoss): the Dutch contribution to the International Week for Democracy. More information here.
Europe can afford to deny Turkey a membership. You know, the world will go on – the world always goes on. And Turkey will survive, Europe will survive, but it will be a great missed opportunity. For both. (video)
Fareed Zakaria,
Newsweek journalist
Emre Kizilkaya | The Istanbulian
turkish journalist, Hürriyet newspaper, blogger.
“I mostly agree with the quotation, but I should also add that the problem is not only the lack of political will in today’s Europe. For decades, neither Brussels nor European governments did anything to prepare for the future. Check the history books that are still being used in European countries. Turks and Islam are still shown as an opponent, if not hostile or even enemy. i.e: Greece was about to modernize its history curriculum with “less anti-Turk” tone, but it couldn’t do it after enormous public pressure. The social integration can be achieved in the long term, but we have not seen any effort and it gives a hint about the fact that the EU won’t be closer to Turkey for some more decades. Then we would see that “it was a missed chance”.
Metin | Talk Turkey
blogger, Metin didn’t directly comment on the statements but contributed several related posts on his blog, this one is on ‘Turkey and the EU’.
“In my opinion, Turkey is already part of Europe, having assimilated its people and culture into most of the EU nations and their makeup (what about the fact that Turkey is considered part of Europe when it comes to professional sports qualifiers and competitions). In the long run, Turkey will be, in some way or another, included in this exclusive club that’s opening its doors to become more inclusive. But then, will membership still have its privileges?
“I believe Turkey can play a vital role in ’the war against terror’ and silencing the Jihadists, if it plays its cards right . . . and very soon as time may already be running out”.
Erkan Saka | Erkan’s field diary
blogger, thesis on Turkish journalism and the European Union, Ph.D candidate Anthropology at Rice University and instructor at the Public Relations Department of Istanbul Bilgi University.
“Most of the narratives concerning TR-EU relations depend on Turkey’s dependence on the EU. However, i hear more and more that the dependence could be mutual. Even without Turkey, the EU can be a leading power in world politics but not a superpower. Some characteristics of Turkey which have so far been portrayed as obstacles are now emerging as contributions to the EU: its strong army, young and dynamic population, proximity to energy sources… Even the religious difference could be a benefit in the long run. EU will not be an alien force in relation to Islamic world…”.
Haluk Direskeneli | Energy Newsletter Turkey
blogger, energy expert.
“EU is not perfect. It is not paradise. If it was, so many EU retirees would not be living on our south coast but in their home country, although we are not the best for their expectations to live in an environment for their senior lives”.
Beatrice Vanni | Arabisto and Turkey & My Foreign Perspectives
blogger, lives in Turkey, and helps people gain visibility for their work and attract more clients through high-quality writing, editing and project development.
“Undoubtedly, both Europe and Turkey will suffer yet go on should Turkey not enter the EU. It will be an unfortunate mistake by the EU because Turkey has far more to offer the people of the EU than they have deficiencies. With Turkey as part of Europe, there will be more opportunities to build an even better democracy for both Turkey and Europe and to lead the world in reaching across religious and cultural barriers to show how humanity comes first over disputes which mean little in the long run. Freedom for everyone ranks higher than freedom for the few and with EU and Turkey together they can capture the hearts and minds of other countries outside the democratic realm of thinking today.
Turkey is a far more stable nation than some of the nations already in the EU and Turkey has proven repeatedly than she is a hard-hitter when it comes to working hand-in-hand with other nations to build peace, fight crime, share resources and broker deals with positive negotiation across a spectrum of change. Turkey accepts change and differences along with friendship as their healer”.
Michael van der Galiën | The Gazette
blogger, frequent visitor of Turkey with interest in the politics and culture of the country, published columns in the Turkish Daily News and is correspondent in the Netherlands for Pajamas Media.
“I couldn’t agree more. Europeans should stop being xenophobic and should embrace Turkey. It’s noteworthy that most who oppose Turkey joining the EU have never visited Turkey nor know anything about this wonderful country, except for that 98% of its inhabitents are Muslim. Geert Wilders, Sarkozy, Austria, etc. aren’t honest about the nature of Turkey and of the Turkish people. Turkey is a Muslim country, and by getting this modern and moderate Muslim country to join the EU we send a clear message to every other Muslim country: we don’t fight terrorists and extremists because they’re Muslims, we fight them because they’re dangerous terrorists and extremists. We’ve got to get rid of this notion that, somehow, there’s a war going on between the West and Islam. There isn’t. The war is between liberal democracy and extremist Islam. We, in the West, should support moderate Muslims and moderate Muslim countries. Not a bit, but completely. Turkey, however, isn’t just a ‘moderate Muslim country,’ it’s a secular Muslim country. Refusing to let this great country join will result in anger and disappoint throughout the Muslim world, but especially in Turkey itself. We’ve humiliated the Turks long enough with unreasonable and ever-changing demands, lets now be honest and forthright”.
Hans A.H.C. de Wit | Internations Musings: Istanbul, Florence, Athens, Yerevan and Dubai | blogger, international communication manager, lives in Turkey, cross cultural specialist.
“Both can in fact without each other. But, if Turkey and EU can not close the bridge, nowhere can this be achieved. Its important to look at each other through different glasses. There is much prejudice against Turkey, but also in Turkey against the EU. The bourgeois media on both sides steers this up for unknown reasons. Indeed, Europe can set a benchmark here by embracing Turkey and Turkey can set a benchmark as a Muslim country by embracing the West”.
More views on this statement in Dutch at VPRO Tegenlicht
Reacties (4)
This was about democracy, remember. Democracy means rule by the people. And in the EU, the people are nationalists, and many of them are xenophobes. Widespread rejection of Turkish accession is not due to politicians, or to the media. It is simply the reflection of the beliefs of the majority in countries such as the Netherlands:
1. they don’t like Turks
2. they don’t like immigrants
3. they don’t like Islam, they don’t like mosques, and they don’t like the Koran
4. they don’t want more Turkish Muslim immigrants coming to their country
5. they don’t want a Muslim country in the EU.
And one other factor is important: Turkey has nothing to offer the majority of EU voters. Accession might bring economic benefits for some sectors, but for most voters that is out-weighed by the disadvantages .
The Turkish reactions on this issue are generally ignorant. People in Turkey simply don’t understand why Turkey is not welcome in the EU. There is a psychological barrier, of course it is hard for Turks to accept that millions of people see them as inferior barbarians. But they do, that is the reality.
Claiming that Turkey is ‘western’, or ‘moderate’, or ‘modern’ will have no effect. What would convince Geert Wilders, and his voters, to accept Turkish EU membership? If all Turks converted to Christianity. If the Turkish government demolished all the mosques, banned the Koran, abandoned the Turkish flag, and introduced English as the national language. Is Turkey prepared to go that far to join the EU?
Paul:
I appreciate the honesty of your comment!
I wonder if by your understanding of democracy, whereas a 51% simple majority rules over the 49% minority, what would happen if the Muslim population existent in the countries you speak of become the simple majority one day?
Maybe it’s time to deport some of the citizens who live in those countries unless they convert to Christianity and/or stop having more kids than the national average . . ?
If the Muslims became the majority, then in a democracy they would rule the country. Almost everyone in Europe regards that as a horrifying nightmare. That is one of the reasons why Turkey is so unwelcome in the EU – the prospect of the Islamisation of Europe.
Part of the electorate in some European countries does indeed support the deportation of immigrants. It is difficult to judge the percentage, because anti-immigration parties do not openly advocate this. (The BNP in Britain does propose phased re-settlement of immigrants). However, since political parties compete for the votes of xenophobic voters, their views can affect policy, even without them having an open majority. Some form of non-voluntary transfer of Turks and Moroccans from the Netherlands is certainly possible, in the coming years.
@Paul, why do you refer all the time to extremists?
If we have to listen to them all the time, we better can stop talking.
Cheers