"Good for Berlin and Lubbock: Turkey could help Europe as well as America
06:44 PM CST on Wednesday, December 22, 2004
At first glance, Europe's overture to Turkey last week to join the European Union may seem completely irrelevant to the lives of Americans in Lubbock, Baton Rouge or Poughkeepsie. But here's why Americans have a big stake in Turkey becoming a part of Europe's common market: Its membership would make the world more stable.
As a Muslim ally, Turkey could help Europe figure out how to deal with Islamic fundamentalism, which clearly is one of the world's great challenges.
In turn, that would make America safer. The Islamic fundamentalism brewing in the Netherlands, Germany and France easily could spill over into this country. Recall that some of the Sept. 11 hijackers once lived in Europe.
Turkey must first meet the European Union's demands to qualify for membership, and negotiations could go on for a decade. According to the invitation to start talks, Turkey could not become a member until 2014. "
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