Although Trifkovic's viewpoint is interesting, I must say that I don't concur with his "angry-white-man" bias on the subject... His Serbian background seems to aggravate his prejudice against Turkey as a Muslim nation.
For instance, Trifkovic mistakes the cause of Turkey's political predicament with its likely effect, that is, keeping Turkey out of the EU club. Indeed, the worst scenario for EU's Christian lobby would be the one that winds up with a prosperous, stable Turkey, for, in that case, EU authorities could no longer keep the Turks at bay without exposing their racist worldview --or, better, EU-view....
Re:
Before the United States is dragged into another bailout of Mexican proportions it is necessary to take a hard look at the fundamentals. Eight months ago we warned that Turkey’s latent tension between modernization dictated from above and religiously expressed resistance from below is structurally similar to the strain that proved fatal to the Shah in 1979 (“Is Turkey the Next Iran?” News & Views, May 4, 2000). Today we can only add that, just as enormous oil revenues could not resolve the problem in Iran, there is no reason to believe that the proposed massive injections of foreign liquidity will do the trick in Turkey. The Kemalist dream of strict secularism has never penetrated beyond the military and a relatively narrow stratum of urban elite centered in Istanbul. The rise of Islam in the mainstream political landscape became fully apparent in June 1997, when the Turkish army intervened to force the resignation of Necmettin Erbakan, the democratically elected prime minister and leader of the Islamic Refah party.
But tell me, Charley, why should it be up to Uncle Sam to get "dragged into another bailout of Mexican proportions" in a country whose main trade partner is the EU?? That is, one of the richest region on earth? President Bush was first to buzz PM Bulent Ecevit to offer US support to solve the crisis --fine!-- but how come Chancellor Schroeder or French Prez Chirac, or EU boss Romano Prodi didn't follow suit?? Is a collapsing Turkey less of a concern to Europe than it is to the US? For that matter, does Europe have any geopolitical concern at all --I mean, apart from jacking the US around?
As for: "The Kemalist dream of strict secularism has never penetrated beyond the military and a relatively narrow stratum of urban elite centered in Istanbul."
Well, I'm afraid the same could be said about Europe's dream of strict liberalism that, likewise, "never penetrated beyond the enlightened bourgeoisie and a narrow stratum of urban elite located in Europe's cosmopolitan hubs (Paris, London, Brussels, Barcelona,...) Indeed, Europe's neofascist culture has its new evangelists: Jorg Haider, Umberto Bossi, Philip Dewinter (Flanders), Le Pen, Megret (France), etc.
Re: In December 1999, Turkey was finally recognized as an E.U. candidate, but the opening of formal negotiations was conditional on satisfaction of human rights criteria. The full membership is most unlikely to be granted, however, although few Germans will openly admit that this refusal is driven less by Turkey’s violations of democracy and its economic volatility than by the West Europeans’ fear of the resulting migratory deluge.
Wrong! What few Germans will openly admit is a massive outflow of German jobs to Turkey as soon as all the current protectionist barriers are removed. This was brilliantly exposed in a former post of mine (*). To be sure, upon EU admittance, Turkish immigration towards the EU will likely increase but, at the same time, be offset by the reverse emigration from Germany to Turkey as many Turks will find it more convenient to run their businesses back home...
(*) Message 15261222
When Greece was allowed in the EEC in 1981, we didn't witness a migratory deluge of Greek bums towards Northern Europe. Likewise, when both Portugal and Spain were granted EEC membership in 1986, there was no migratory rush northwards... If anything, thousands of Spanish and Portuguese immigrants took the opportunity to travel back --along with their savings and experience.... Such a social phenomenon is clearly explained in the French article below:
Editorial
Immigration, année zéro
Les réfugiés kurdes qui ont abordé malgré eux sur nos rivages ont remis au premier plan des discussions politiques européennes la délicate question de l'immigration. Quelle attitude l'Europe doit-elle adopter face à ce phénomène?
lexpansion.com
To read the above article, just type in EXPATEMP in the access window after you've clicked on the headline.
Re: But the key to this approach calls for a long-term rapprochement with Russia, instead of an unnecessary and costly new cold war. This would provide an alternative access route to the Caspian oil fields if, one day in the not too distant future, Turkey becomes an Islamic Republic.
A long-term rapprochement with Russia?! That's a joke! The US will get closer to its former ally, Iran, killing two birds with one stone: syphoning oil off from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf, and containing Saddam through Tehran's chi'ite leadership.... Trifkovic's supremacist dream of a great alliance between all the white Christian countries is a mere lunacy...
Gus. |
