Here we go again - this time the FT goes in for the current favourite game of wagging a minatory finger at Turkey for not going fast enough for the Europeans on political reforms.
"The only way the EU can exert full leverage on Turkey to reform is to keep the carrot of full membership dangled in front of it. [Yes, dangling a carrot is what you would do to get a donkey to move in a particular direction. There's never any assurance, of course, that the donkey gets the carrot in the end, even if it obeys the danglers commands obediently. - GP]At the same time, however, the Turks must realise at the outset what EU full membership means. Some of them seem to be under the illusion that negotiating it is a bit like bargaining in the bazaar: haggle and then split the difference. [Pity the Punch magazine is dead. You can almost see the cartoon here, perhaps set in the kapali çarşı, showing the haggling between the EU tourist and the importunate Turk trying to sell him a carpet. Who says demeaning stereotypes are dead in the oh-so-liberal-and-tolerant EU? But it's all in my mind, right? - GP] But in accession talks EU policies and rules are largely non-negotiable; the main argument concerns only how long the applicant is given to adopt them.
In Turkey's case, it is particularly important the EU stands firm in three areas. First, Turkey must show itself a functioning democracy that upholds human rights and freedom of religion and non-belief. [That would mean destroying the right of habeus corpus as in the Padilla decision, or holding suspects indefintely in prison without charges as in the UK and US, or if some Pakis are suspected of terrorism, then attacking mosques or killing defenceless civilians if they look swarthy-skinned, as in the UK again. - GP] Ankara has taken big strides in this field recently, but still has far to go. [Yes, there's much to learn from the US and the UK about ignoring public opinion, telling lies and having the entire media dance to your tune, and electing war criminals through stolen elections - all outstanding examples of 21st century democracy. - GP] Second, it must have a working market economy. [Make sure you get the parliament to give you a blank cheque to raise the deficit indefinitely to finance a war based on lies, make sure your cronies win reconstruction and defence contracts without bidding for them, such as in Halliburton. - GP] Turkey has a decade-old customs union with the EU, but is hardly corruption-free. [Oh, hardly! Can't yet hold a candle to the Vice President who still earns an income from his former employers as he passes more gravy and pork their way. - GP] Third, it must settle minority and historical issues better than it has so far managed to come to terms with its Kurds and the Armenian question." [The UK and the US have long solved such problems - no racism there, as far as the world can see. - GP]
And while we're at it, why not help the primitive Turks to reach the giddy heights of hypocrisy attained by the media and state collaboration so characteristic of advanced democracies in the 21st century?
Comments