Turkey as an EU paradox

Submitted by myth (Germany), Feb 18, 2013 at 10:31

Yes, the EU demands human rights, democracy and all the rest of it. But these criteria have not been the ones keeping Turkey out. France and Germany dominate the EU. To the French and my government the EU delivers a playing field to demonstrate political power internationally and votes domestically. Big populations, relatively strong economies, account for their position. As a result France get their agricultural subsidies and Germany imposed their federal banking system and the Euro as the Deutsche Mark's successor.

Turkey's population and relatively strong economy (compared to the neighbouring Balkans) would both justify political power and subsidies on the level of France. The EU budget, the power structure, cannot support this. In a way, Turkey is too close to a big successful european nation state to be admitted. That is the paradox. Greece, Bulgaria or Romania in many ways fit the EU less than Turkey does. But those are small countries, their membership has little consequence, they merely decorate the leading powers with some crisis or other to handle. Or put in another way: The EU's power structure is too undemocratic to survive a third big country such as Turkey.

Britain's position toward Europe has always been to stop any single continental country from achieving hegemony. Such as France in the 19th century, Germany in the 20th, today a German led EU in the 21. Britain's position cannot be taken over by Turkey either.

That said, in practical terms, there is even less of a vacant spot with the SCO countries.

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