"In the second installment of a two-part series on the ramifications of the Turkey-EU negotiations, Mohammed Ayoob wonders if in the end Turkey will be ever be inside the European tent. Turkey became an associate member of the European community in 1963, but has waited more than 40 years for membership talks to begin. In spite of loyal membership in NATO, Turkish citizens are well aware that their European counterparts do not consider them a European nation. Faced with such disapproval, Ayoob predicts that lengthy negotiations will come to naught: either the Europeans will reject Turkey or the exhausted Turks will finally give up. Even without membership, though, the negotiations will have far-ranging effects on Turkish society. Some of these changes are already apparent: advances in human rights and democratic consolidation, for example. Others will unfold in the coming years. Ayoob contends that in response to the European emphasis on religious difference, Turks will become more confident in their Muslim identity and more focused on Middle Eastern politics. 'Unless Europe reverses course swiftly and manifests such change through concrete measures,' he warns, 'the Luxembourg drama may provide the catalyst that is likely to irreversiby change the direction of Turkish foreign policy.' – YaleGlobal"
More:Turkey and the European Tent – Part II