Turkey and the EU: Comments required.

lee_arama

Morning gents and gals.

I'm currently reading some material on Turkey and their EU entry/non-entry. While I know there's another thread here I find that a lot of these threads tend to tail off into AH/yore ma type posts after the first few pages. Hence I'm here looking to see if someone has anything constructive to add to my following words...


Without trying to create an essay here, is not the idea of the EU something which should transcend basic geography? Much of what gets mentioned makes reference to how the majority of Turkish territory is within what we know as Asia rather than Europe, and that maybe it is this which should govern a yay or nay decision.

However, the way I look at it is this: is the concept of the EU really all about looking after Europe as a continent and as an economic force? One of the main ideas of the predecessors of the EU (ECSC, EEC, EC) was that war and conflict was a bad thing (duh!) and that it was better to embrace your natural enemies rather than isolate them (the way Germany was after Versailles).

The way I see it, the more nations who come together in one happy (if not always harmonious) circle jerk then surely that reduces the likelihood of future warfare?

Also, if Turkey does join us i the EU, would not the influx of Muslims help create a greater understanding of other cultures? Europe is for all intents and purposes a caucasian, christian, grouping... And while I, a caucasian christian, have no real problem with being in an ethnically homogenous Europe, I certainly have no beef with the Muslims as a whole.

I might have a problem with Muslim fundamentalists, but I have the same problems with Christian ones too. Fundamentalists are, to generalise, bad people. Inflexible and narrowminded in their way of thinking.

Europe started by 'letting' (letting is the wrong word here but you get the idea) Germany play with the others. You can't say that because the Nazi's were gone that Germany was innocent because a lot of people knew what was going on at the time. But we moved past that. Every country in Europe has it's own dark dark past, and some (Britain) are having another go at it by engaging in fallacious wars with their fuq buddy America.

Poland, even a mere decade before entry to Europe was a black-spot, to be avoided by solo travellers, because their systems were corrupt, petty crime went unchecked, and being fair, they didn't care much for us Western types. Now? We need them, because they build things, much in the same way the Irish did in centuries past.

So: Are we really that afraid of allowing someone different into our gang? They're not really white, and not really Christian, and hell they're poor...

Can we cite their past offences? Armenia anyone? Shocking times, but as well evict the UK for allowing Cromwell to do what he did, or Germany for that one incident in the 40s, and sure Denmark and Sweden pillaged half of Europe way back when; let's get rid of them too...

Moving past these things is there any real reason why Turkey cannot join the EU?



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Apologies if theis meanders a tad but like I said I'm not writing an academic piece here, just looking for some focussed discussion on my observations.

bill_ashmount

If you want to leave Turkey in, then change the name from European Union to World Union and call it what it actually will have become.

lee_arama

Interesting point: Would you concede that the name need not change in advance of Turkey's entrance, or immediately afterwards? That a future name change would likely be occuring anyway?

The way I look at it, if Russian decided in the morning that they'd like to enter the EU, that there'd be little in the way of complaint, especially given the current economic climate.

ShooterSF

lee_arama wrote: »

Interesting point: Would you concede that the name need not change in advance of Turkey's entrance, or immediately afterwards? That a future name change would likely be occuring anyway?

The way I look at it, if Russian decided in the morning that they'd like to enter the EU, that there'd be little in the way of complaint, especially given the current economic climate.

I'd say there would be huge objections. That's a very big border to open.

djpbarry

If Turkey fulfils the membership criteria, then I see no reason why they should not join the EU.