IS IT REALLY ALL THAT GREAT THAT WE ARE NOT YET IN THE EU?
by Huseyin Gulerce
Today’s Zaman
Dec 16 2011
Turkey
We have entered a problematic period as far as our relations with the
European Union are concerned. The success that Turkey has seen with
its economy and its general development has sparked in some circles
an air of “we no longer have a need for the EU”.
This atmosphere is being boosted even more by the fact that the
European Union is still going through one of the greatest crises in
its history. This unforeseen crisis is shaking the very structure of
the EU, most palpably in Greece, Italy and Spain. Last week, on 8-9
December, there was a summit in Brussels with decisions made about
all sorts of new precautions. In short, they are trying to transcend
this crisis.
We know about all the negative reactions both in Turkey and in Europe
to our prospective membership, based not only on understandable
nationalistic emotions but also cultural and religious differences.
There are very strong “no to Turkish EU membership” lobbies on
both sides.
Some powerful groups in Europe resist our prospective membership,
pointing to Turkey’s majority Muslim population as a reason. We see at
the same time that hostility towards Islam and Turks is being incited.
The neo-Nazi murders and increased racism in Germany of late need
not be brushed aside lightly. At the same time, the reality that
Turkey will in the near future possess Europe’s largest and most
dynamic population, as well as the fact that it is becoming stronger
and stronger in its region, are making certain European circles
uncomfortable.
But perhaps the most important factor is the resistance and attempts
to prevent Turkey’s EU membership by members of the guardian
regime in Turkey. The guardian regime wants to see Turkey led by a
more inward-looking government. After all, this is where all their
opportunities, influence, and powerful positions derive from. Let me
try and explain what I am really trying to say by borrowing from some
statements made recently by EU Minister Egeman Bagis in an interview
with the Hurriyet daily. In response to the question, “If there were
no EU accession process going on, what would Turkey lack?” Bagis
answered, “Were there no EU accession process, there would still
be state security courts. It used to be required that the boards
of both the TRT [Turkish Radio and Television Corporation] and YOK
[Higher Education Board] would have at least one general. That has
changed. If there are 24-hour broadcasts in Kurdish, if a president
has visited an Alevi ‘cemevi’ [house of worship] for the first time
since Ataturk, if there is a prime minister who has shown the grace
to apologize for the Dersim massacre, if our Armenian and Greek
citizens can now attend masses at both Akdamar and Sumela after 112
and 88 years respectively, if we no longer worry about the safety of
the toys our children play with and if the very food we eat is more
hygienic, the EU plays a part in all of the above.”
Let me add this: If civilian supervision of the military has increased,
if cases like the Ergenekon and Balyoz are being held not in military
but rather civilian courts, these are occurrences that derive from
warnings offered up in EU Progress reports, as well as the fact that
these reports follow-up on the issues at hand. And, it should be
mentioned, there is a lot further still to go…
In order for Turkey to rid itself of this guardian system, it needs
support from the European Union. The greatest barrier that lies before
the guardian status quo is in fact the EU itself. Membership in the
EU is the greatest guarantee Turkey has of democratization.
Anyone who believes that the military guardian regime is over is
wrong. Very recently, one of the most important suspects, a general,
in the “Internet Memorandum” case involving the military escaped
abroad. In other words, he was ferried out. We are actually engulfed
in the most critical period yet in terms of getting rid of this
military guardian regime and of making the transfer to democracy. If
constitutional, permanent, and fundamental precautions are not taken
– and may God protect us from this – those waiting in ambush for a
period of revenge filled with hatred and enmity will surely return.
Turkey’s EU membership is actually a strategic decision. It represents
an important milestone for Turkey in terms of global peace and
integrating with the world, all while remaining true to ourselves. In
fact, the most important stage in the United Nations Alliance of
Civilizations project is Turkey’s prospective EU membership.
This most recent large crisis experienced by the EU is, instead
providing a reason for Turkey to back down, actually a historical
opportunity for us. Influential circles in Europe have now begun to
better understand Turkey’s importance. There is talk now of how an
EU without Turkey can not really hope to be a global player. This
should make us neither arrogant nor tense.
Let us not become enslaved to the fluctuations of national politics;
let us not lose sight of the wider vistas before us…