"Turkey: on Europe's verge?
Source: Great Decisions 2006
Author: Henri J. Barkey and Omer Taspinar
Turkey: on Europe's verge? Turkey, poised at the nexus of the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Middle East, takes on new strategic roles in the post-9/11 'clash of civilizations.'
Excerpt:
'On October 3,2005,a Turkish Foreign Ministry jet was idling on the tarmac in the capital city of Ankara waiting to see if Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül would show up for a historic ceremony in Luxembourg. The question was whether Turkey would finally start accession talks with the 25-member European Union (EU) after more than 40 years of trials and tribulations. The stakes were very high, not just for the EU and Turkey, but also for the U.S. Washington had been a strong supporter of Turkey's European vocation from early on. There were pertinent strategic reasons for this. As a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally neighboring the Balkans, the Caucasus and America 's greatest challenges in the Middle East, namely Syria, Iraq and Iran, Turkey 's geo-strategic location is invaluable. Equally important, Turkey is a Muslim country with a democratic and secular system, a true rarity in the Islamic world. Particularly in the post-9/11 world, where many saw a “clash of civilizations” between Islam and the West, Turkey's European quest had therefore gained unprecedented significance for Washington.'"
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