Good site! I'll stay reading! Keep improving!

Given the fact that only 3% of Turkey is actually in Europe and 97% in Asia Tuerkey stands little chance of becoming a member of the EU.Would there be a vote of the european community wether or not that country should become a member,the vote would be against such membership.

Dr. Ozel has certainly stimulated a lot of interesting responses.

AmVienna,VA:

Turkey has already met two of the criteria that you set out.

1. Since 2000, the role of the military has been consistently reduced in Turkish politics. Yes, they have a long way to go. But they have started the reforms and reform takes time (esp. when dealing with bureaucracies).

2. Kurds have the right to broadcast in Kurdish, speak and write Kurdish, name their children Kurdish names, learn Kurdish, etc... Again, I am sure there are individuals that do not respect the rights of Kurds. However, it must be remembered that Kurds were linked with a 15 year terror campaign across Turkey. Although the PKK could hardly be called the voice of the Kurdish population in Turkey, polling data showed the majority supported the cause. It will take time for the rights of Kurds to be fully respected. Again, it is impossible to expect people to change their opinions and attitudes over night. For example, the US still suffers huge racial inequities despite the fact that the civil rights movement successfully brought down Jim Crow. Or even more relevant is the treatment of the Roma populations in EU countries.

I am surprised at the number of un-informed, ill-informed sheeple on earth as well as politically correct hypocrites.

Several polls have consistently shown that about 84% of the American people believe that 911 was an inside job. The fact is the 911 was a RACIST AND HEINOUS CRIME by a group of criminal and racist Americans themselves. There is no video that Federal Bureau of Incompetence could produce of plane hitting the Pentagon. On the contrary, they acted as Foolish PATSIES for the criminal operators of 911 by confiscating and destroying all other camera footage from buildings around Pentagon. Next, WTC7 just committed suicide. Thermate residue has been found as finger print left by the criminals. Please visit 911blogger.com, st911.org and many other sites.

911 official story is a forgery like the protocols of the learned elders of zion. It is as fake as a magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat, and does that mean you can have a rabbit farm from that hat? I cant believe how many idiots that we have.

And the most interesting thing is that most lead researchers of the movement are either Christian or Jewish. The MIT engineer, Jeff King does not sound like an Arab name.

Now what is the connection with Europe? Note the very first post in this discussion starts with Islamophobia. Its probably a patsy of the criminal cabal that pulled off 911. We have a strong feeling that almost ALL THE INTELLIGENCE CHIEFS of EUROPE knew instantly that 911 was a fraud. President Putin himself had carried out such a false flag operation based on blowing Moscow apartment buildings to enter the second Chechen war.

Jon Carlson has written an excellent investigative piece entitled "Russia Watched 9/11 In Real Time On Satellite" which you can find via google using these clues.

Racists of Europe, such as in France, Holland were immediately ready to take full advantage of 911 hoax. India, immediately understood that 911 was a hoax and staged its own fake terrorist attacks to harass Pakistan. Bush used it to harass Pakistan into submitting the father of their nuclear bomb, Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan to CIA interrogation. There was another goal of 911. Scare Muslim leader into becoming patsies to destroy their society from within. Once it is internally weak, then a stone can be shattered by one blow. Iraq was thus first weakened by sanctions, and then attack to shatter it.

By God, they will not succeed. Allah has power over all things. The universe has hidden dimension and God watches everything from there. That is what is happening. They can conspire but they will be defeated. All those who have died in Iraq from crimes are going to go to heaven. All the Americans who have committed atrocities will go to hell. All Americans or Iraqis who will do good deeds will be judged accordingly. God has absolutely no partiality towards any religion or race.

You are seeing events move extremely fast.

Iran has brought UK to a stalemate. Hezbollah has essentially defeated Israel, in the sense that the latter has failed to obtain its objectives of the war. The racist and heinous crime of the 911 operators has been exposed. This is the lynchpin from which will follow a large change in the world, but not in the way the 911 operators of controlled demolition intended, but totally opposite. The wife cheaters, the newt gingrichs, the pedophiles reagans herbert bush, as in the video "conspiracy of silence" where FBI criminals tried to criminally coverup is now exposed. This is never going to go away. The video evidence is far and wide dispersed on earth and archived.

The true believers from all faiths have joined hands and will not be divided by pedophile, sex crazed, wife cheaters and genocidal murderers and their deception and lies based on psychological tactics of Edward Bernays.

I ask you all for a moment of silence in the honor of 911 truth movement people, Alex Jones, Dr Steven Jones, Dr Fetzer, Dr Jeff King and many others I am failing to mention but God knows them and their reward is with Him.

I find it interesting that Europe is now wrestling with some of the same issues that America has had to deal with over the last 170 years. We've had a huge influx of English, German, Scottish, Swedish, Irish, African, Italian and more recently, Hispanic immigrants (both willing immigrants and unwilling immigrants) to our country. We've had to find ways to integrate all of those cultures. We are still struggling with that. Europe is new to this phenomenon of immigration. Although we are a new country compared to those of Europe, America is all too familiar with the problems you are now facing.

Let me encourage all Europeans to do your best to accept these new people. They are in your country to stay. They will bring with them aspects of their own culture and way of life that will forever alter your culture. You will have to accept their music, their language, their food - everything that is now unfamiliar to you. But at the same time, these new people will help make your country be that much more interesting and vibrant.

We all want to same things from life - Aren't we all trying to have a better life for ourselves and our loved ones?

Interesting exchanges, but much inaccuracy:

1. Only 4% of turkey is in Europe. The other 96% is in Asia.

2. Turkey has a secular regime, protected by the military. But the religious parties are also very strong (witness the current government). That of course does not mean that Sharia is about to be imposed. the only issue here is the role of Turkey's military.

3. Considering the history of the Balkans, it is ludicrous to read complaints that Turks have been the persecuted ones! This is beyond reason and belief. It is simply an attempt to state such an extreme absurdity that when the 'reasonable ones' try to stake a compromise in the middle, then Turkey will gain a measure of respect. But it is still a ludicrous position.

Given the history of the Balkans, and of the Ottomans, and Turkish history through modern times, it is necessary for contrition from Turkey. Not because there will be financial or other damages, but to show that Turkey understands the dark side of her history. Turkey was evicting Christians from Turkey right through the 1960's. By now of course there aren't enough to evict anymore, but even the US is complaining about Turkey's stance on Christians and Christian institutions. This is something that Turkey must change.

4. Yes, the English called the leadership of the Cypriot resistance terrorists. That is irrelevant. Occupiers always call the resistance terrorist. But the occupier is always the terrorist. Whether the occupier is English, British, or Turkish, or anything else for that matter.

These said, to return to the subject of the blog:

I do not agree that Europe's minorities need Turkey. Their lot is much better than the lot of many Turks in Turkey. I do not even believe, anymore, that the EU needs Turkey. So far Turkey has concentrated on, and continues to fail, getting special conditions for membership. As he EU has made clear, that is not the path to membership, because all states must meet the same minimum standards.

That means that Turkey must:
1. Remove the military from its current role in the political life.

2. End its occupation of a member state. As a matter of fact, Turkey must drop all its claims against every other EU member. You cannot be considered a member in good standing and lay claims against other members.

3. Abide by its agreements with the EU. Any candidate who constantly tries to redefine and renegotiate and reinterpret the agreement is obviously too unreliable.

4. Respect her minorities. yes, that means that Turks must actually call Kurds by their ethnicity, let them speak and write their language (even allow the use of the letters Q and X). No state that oppresses its population to that extent is civilized. If turkey respects the Kurds, she will have no fear from Northern Iraq.

I do agree that Turkey needs the EU, however, even if only as an associate member. The changes that are being made, and will hopefully be completed will be beneficial to Turkey as a whole, as well as Turkey's neighbors.

GMD above is right. When Turks apologize to the Pope and the Danish Cartoonists they should talk then.

What an absurd view! Turkey as an enabler of civil rights and civic thought and political dialogue?

Let us look back, as far as you might wish, to see what has been the Turkish contribution to human kind....has Turkey produced a philosopher, a civics thinker, an inventor ranking with Edison or Graham Bell or Bill Gates....in fact, over 5 centuries of conquering from Kazakstan to Vienna, did Turks manage to produce and invent some thing new-- a sewing machine, a shovel, a new any thing?

To suggest that they can now lead a civil rights movement, in Europe of all places, smacks of some that has been smoking some thing strong...the kind of stuff that made Turkey famous!

How Turkey responds to the emerging state of Kurdistan will go a long way to the decision of their joining the EU.

Rorshach, I guess you can't read a map. First Istanbul is the most important city in Turkey, even if it is not the capital. Second, the area north and west of it, consider for example the city of Edirne, is Balkan and also in Turkey.

I ask again, what does being Muslim have to do with being European or not? Are Albanians and Bosnians who are Muslim not European? Are Bulgarian Muslims not European? For better or worse, Istanbul has been Turkish for a very long time. If you want it "returned" as you say, I assume you would agree to change the rest of the world map to what it was when it was "lost."

Why don't we focus on the argument made by Mr. Ozel? Frankly, the argument is weak. There are stronger arguments for EU accession such as the China next door argument(cheap labor = cheap prices = better for the economy)or the buffer zone argument or even the accession will keep Turks home argument. Mr. Ozel's argument lacks analysis of depth and does not adequately explain why Europe needs Turkey. I don't find this symbosis that he alludes to necessarily evident. Accession of Turkey into the EU will not make the European countries seem more tolerant of Muslims. Most Middle Eastern Muslims do not even recognize secular Turkey's brand of Islam. In turn, the question that should be asked is not does the EU need (or want) Turkey, but does Turkey need the EU?

I would say it probably doesn't in the long run. Economically, the future looks brighter in emerging Turkey than in the old European powers; Politically, change is coming about slowly but steadily (admittedly because of the process of trying to meet the Copenhagen criteria); Socially, the majority of Turks don't feel that European values are compatible with their values (Europe is seen as morally bereft).

In the short run, however, Turkey should enjoy all the money it gets from the EU and hopefully the changes made to its political system will remain even after membership fails to materialize. Turkey will continue to play an important role as the bridge between the East and West regardless of membership to the EU or not. Europe will still need Turkey to be the first line of defense against illegal immigrants, drugs, terrorists, etc... Western powers will also want to continue to support secular Turkey as an example for the broader Middle East, as a friend of Israel, and as a mediating power (ex. Erdogan's role in negotiating with the Iranians over the British sailors).

Whether Turkey is one day part of Europe or not, it seems poised to gain.

"Call me biased, and I am of course biased, but this agenda cannot be accomplished without Turkey’s adhesion."

Ok, Mr. Ozel, you failed to provide a convincing argument why the EU needs Turkey. Why can that agenda not be accomplished without Turkey? You never gave any reasons! This column would have failed a college level Writing 101 class on these principles alone. The Washington Post editors should be embarrassed for allowing such an incomplete article to be published.

Sent: Monday, April 02, 2007 8:05 PM
Subject: Tech support - a little long but good advice

Tech Support: Yes, How can I help you?

Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install Love. Can you guide me through the process?

Tech Support: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do first?

Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?

Customer: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?

Tech Support: What programs are running?

Customer: Let's see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge, and Resentment running right now.

Tech Support: No problem, Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off?

Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.

Customer: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?

Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.

Customer: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "Error - Program not run on external components." What should I do?

Tech Support: Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.

Customer: So, what should I do?

Tech Support: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files: Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.

Customer: Okay, done.

Tech Support: Now, copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

Customer: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?

Tech Support: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually everything gets it at the proper time. So Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.

Customer: Thank you, God.

God/Tech Support: You're Welcome, Anytime.

If you delete that is okay,

God's love is not based on emails.

Why can't we all get alone, I'm a Turk I have not killed a greek armenian bulgarian or any other national, I don't know of anyone in my family killing anyone, who cares you are a Christian , Jew, Muslim, Budist or whatever at the and of the day we all worship same God!
we all eat same God's food, drink the water he created, and the universe he created, didn't we all come from Adam & Eve if we were born to any nation thats the way we would have been raised, we can share everything, our cultures but most of all our God giving love for each other
I think we are all tought to hate by some evil man, I think it is the devil! who wants us to be consumed by hate advantualy hate is going to devour all man kind. I personal find hating and not liking and not loving more stressfull, if only world stop being greedy and love one another would be more profitable for man kind.
look at the pass what do we see, what have learned,exept death and destruction, everything is giving to us none of us is going to take it with them to other side
Im a Turk, Muslim , Jew and The christian I know I can't change anyone but, I will be changing my self to love God's all mankind and creation, what ever you are you are welcome to my house and I will do my best to serve you!
untill the time he wants me in heaven!

Mrs Dogan,

Sampson was a front man my dear, the real power was coming from brigadier Ioannides in Athens. And Ioannides is known to have been a CIA associate, I would be surprised in case you are not aware of this.

What actually took place in Cyprus before, during and after the military coup against the legally elected president archibishop Makarios may not be become known, yet most of it seem to have been decided in Washington rather than in Athens, Nicosia or Ankara.

The US sanctions on Turkey were imposed because this country made extensive and illegal use of US build arms in the operations of their army in Cyprus. Need I to remind you that these operations resulted the death of at least 7000 Greek civilians and the occupation of 38% of the overall island territory -for a less than 18% Turkish minority-? Again need I remind you that this has been condemned in more than one resolutions by the UN security council? And yes the Turkish lobby "activists" are indeed very generously paid.

Regarding to those Greek paramilitaries you mention, these people used to be the leaders of the Cypriot struggle in order to gain independence from Britain back in the fifties. Had it not be for them and many others lesser known, Cyprus would most probably still be a British dominion these days. In short these people are the Washingtons and Lafayettes of the Greek-Cypriots. At the same time the former Turkish-Cypriot leader Mr Denktash was employed by the British as a prosecutor for the crown and is directly responsible for the execution by hanging for a number of them.

But while the Greek-Cypriot paramilitaries seized to exist for a number of decades, the Turkish-Cypriot branch of the Gray Wolves -a Turkish terrorist organization- is still alive and kicking even today. As you know they are responsible for the murder of a number of Greek-Cypriots and there is an international price for some of their heads.

I am a Greek and Greece is among the few supporters of the Turkish candidacy at the EU. While we are Greek-Orthodox, we do not view this as an issue of Christianity versus Islam. Clearly in Europe there is room for both. The reasons why Turkey is facing problems in its effort to join EU has got nothing to do with their faith.

Since the early sixties there have been four coup d'états launched by the military against civilian governments. Run in most cases by oligarchies Turkey has traditionally bullying most of their neighbors. Corruption is resident, with some MPs changing parties six times within a period of three years. At the same time Turkey is a place where politicians, army generals, journalists and drug traffickers share one common establishment the so called "Deep State" which actually runs the country in the background. They have to reform and for start they must get rid of it. Europe has been past the Middle Ages for some centuries now, now it is time for Turkey to follow suit.

EU represents Turkey's only visible chance to modernize its political and social infrastructure. If Turkey fails this, it is going to be their fault and nobody else's. There will be no excuses.

Yet the worst calamity for the Turkish people would be to join the Union on an as is basis that is in their own terms they try to impose.

**Also, Turkey has a major portion of its territory in Europe whether you Western-centric folks like it or not.** Um, that is the most blatantly false statement you could have made. The only part of Turkey physically inside Europe is Istanbul, formerly known as Constantinople, before Turkey invaded and conquered. No, Turkey is not European, and they still need to return Constantinople.

Dr. Ozel makes an interesting, if biased, proposal. He posits what appear to be two seperate challenges for Europe, but perhasp they are linked,i.e., the corportist structure and the social safety net it supports are likely a barrier to the integration he desires.

Wishfull thinking, lets start with honor killings, violent boys, smart girls, why dont you start in Turkey?

First, to the Spaniard. Your comment was totally wonderful. Second, it seems people are commenting on Turkey without the slightest idea of how truly secular the society is in many, many ways. Those who think that shari'a law is likely to take effect there might want to consider the fact that women are actually banned from wearing the hijab head covering in many settings, like the Turkish parliament for example. Attaturk's secularization of the country is very very apparent. I have never visited another Muslim country that is comparable.

Also, Turkey has a major portion of its territory in Europe whether you Western-centric folks like it or not. Bosnia's largest single religious group is also Muslims, are you going to ban them from considering themselves Europeans too? Ditto Albania.

Screw you ! Muslim turkey is no exception...convert to Christianity or face the wrath of god as the yank crusaders will definitely crush the islamic fascism in this century with the help of our brothers from Israel.

All of Europe will be Islamic in 30 years. So as to fully cooperate with the Muslims, it will be best for all native European males to chop off their privates immediately.

The people who will need civil rights advocates will not be the muslim immigrants who are doing quite well in asserting their rights in Europe to not only be muslim but to impose their religious beliefs on those whom they consider infidels. The Europeans will need civil rights. Islam with is sharia is incompatible with Western civilization.

Turkey will never join the EU, nobody wants them too, they're just being strung along like the dumb old donkey with the carrot being dangled in front of its face.

It seems impossible to have any sensible discussion on Turkey without people wanting to settle old scores, demonstrated here with GMD's absurdly one-sided presentation of history.

The familiar mantra about Turkey's "highly paid lobbyists in Washington and slick PR campaigns" is not supported by the record - as Cheney explained when discussing the role of lobbies in US politics, "We placed sanctions on Turkey and not on Greece. Why? It was not because it made sense from the standpoint of what was going on Cyprus, or made sense from the standpoint of overall U.S. foreign policy. We sanctioned Turkey because the Greek-American lobby was significantly bigger and more effective than the Turkish-American lobby here at home. That's the sum total of why we did it."

And what was the standpoind of what was going on in Cyprus? That can be taken directly from the horses mouth, Nikos Sampson "Had Turkey not intervened I would not only have proclaimed Enosis but I would have annihilated the Turks in Cyprus."

It should be noted that Greece was accepted into the EU a mere 8 years after this, and that the Greek Cypriot paramilitaries who were complicit have subsequently taken control of the Republic and reign as EU member state leaders. Of all its presidents in its 47 year history, barring one 4 year exception, all of them were EOKA - including the present one Papadopoulos, whose remarkable comfort with discussing plans to exterminate Cypriot Turks is a matter of State Department record.

Western historians have dealt with the issue of the ethnic cleansing of Turks - over 11 million in all - by Greeks, Bulgarians, Cypriots, Armenians, Serbs, Russians etc.

If you wish to dwell on history rather than moving on, at least dwell on an honest version.

Well, Adolf Hitler also dreamed of the Germanisches Reich, a.k.a. European Union, but... The European Union is a socialist dictatorship and the most Europeans are against this corrupt regime. However, the European Union has no future.

As a Spaniard I can coexist with another mediterranean country. I am not sure about countries like Denmark.

"...this agenda cannot be accomplished without Turkey’s adhesion."

With all due respect, this is by no means obvious, would need be somewhat supported a little more... by compelling arguments to the effect 1. that Turkey is or can become "European" (including culturally and as a civilizing agent), 2. that Turkey has the will to be part of Europe, not simply to play the role of one of the most militarized spearheads for the US in the region. This makes, I would suggest, for quite a political reorientation, and for much spiritual development.

i am brian, i am the fore father of the greek terrorits. We all need to calm down and get some gyros. enjoy it

I am the grandchild of Anatolian Greeks who were forced into exile by the Turks in their quest to remake a multi-ethnic Anatolia into "Turkey for the Turks" by killing or expelling the Greeks and Armenians whose ancestors had lived there for over a thousand years before the Turks arrived. No number of highly paid lobbyists in Washington and slick PR campaigns can whitewash the ugly history behind the creation of modern Turkey. Might does not make right and yet the Christians (mostly Greek and Armenian) of Anatolia were sold out by the European powers after WWI in order to cut a deal with Mustafa Kemal's Nationalists. The Treaty of Sevres designed to remedy the gross injustices of Turkish rule over subject peoples was not enforced and the destruction of the non-Turkish elements of the population was completed.

While the author of this post puts forth the premise that Turkey is valuable in the geo-political positioning of the EU as a world power he neglects to understand the most important aspect of EU "Soft Power" and the new morality at the core of EU foreign policy. Just because Turkey is becoming a resurgent power (much to the dismay of previously victimized neighbors like Greece, Cyprus, Armenia, Bulgaria and Kurdistan) does not mean that the EU has to engage with Turkey on its terms. The promise of the EU's power is that it will hold firm until Turkey truly reforms its government and society. The ugliness inherent in the continued denial of the Armenian Genocide and the ongoing occupation of northern Cyprus along with repression of Kurds hardly make Turkey the model for any other country to follow. The resurgence of extreme nationalism in Turkey as evidenced in the recent cold blooded murder of Hrant Dink seems to be indicative of the sick and twisted mentality of many modern day Turks towards their bloody history. Are you really so proud of the massacres of the Armenians? Are you really so proud of the slaughter of the innocent civilians at Smyrna? In speaking with Turks in the US one often listens to their version of history with amazement. The myth of Ataturk as the hero who beat back all the evil invaders and rescued Turkey is a nice little nationalist fairly tale to teach the Turkish students but they are in for a rude awakening when confronted with the historical reality of the evil that was done by Ottoman Sultans, Young Turks and Nationalists alike.

In order for Turkey to truly find a place among civilized nations and become a force for good moving forward it will require a painful acceptance and repentance by the Turkish people for the pain and suffering their history has caused so many other people. Judging from the hatred, hypocrisy, dishonesty and nonsense I observe coming out of Turkish society these days it is doubtful this will happen anytime soon.

Turkey might well be a "great" or "strong" civilisation, but it is not a European one!

Also, Civil Rights movement in Europe? That part of the world happens to have the highest practical standards for human rights. And it is precisely for the same fact that Turkey is not admissable to EU-- it has a poor human rights record beyond repair over the next 50-70 years!

I can't recall the source of the quote but somebody once remarked that Turkey could be as strong or as weak as it wants. I do think that I understand what he meant. Right now Turkey must increase its value to Europe. It can only do so through the development of its interests elsewhere e.g. the Black Sea, the Caucasus region, Iran and the Middle East. It borders several regions of the world. Is this an asset or a liability? A strong Turkey would do more for the stability and prosperity of these regions than is believed. For one thing it acts as a counter balance to Iran. Stop pounding on the door and prove to the EU that it can't do without you. You'll be surprised to actually see it open for you.

Turkey may actually find an opportunity with the next American administration. Ever since the collapse of the Ottoman empire the Middle East has seen itself as Sunni and Arab. This game under Riyadh Rules never gets anything done. Iran and Turkey are two key players that are needed. The Arabs may welcome them as much as Israel but the old Middle East isn't working. I know that France simply wants you to disappear and would hope that you find a new home elsewhere but perhaps that might be the wise thing to do. It's Europe that needs time to abandon its ideas. How can it expand any further until it accepts that ultimate soveignty will reside with the states rather than Brussels. Except for Russia I just don't see the EU existing without the Black Sea states or the entire Mediterranean but it will never happen unless you make Turkey too valuable to lose.