Should we allow Turkeys accession to the E.U?

[smiffy]

One question. If Turkey, why not Russia?

Has Russia applied?

[MichaelR]

One question. If Turkey, why not Russia?

Has Russia applied?

Wait, is membership by application or by invitation? I honestly don't know.

I'm not sure how good an argument it is, but the US would not be best pleased with the EU if we let Russia in. It is very keen on Turkish membership, however.

This seems to be an argument for any solution except that one. The EU should not depend on the US (or anyone else) too much. The US already drove the EU into a disastrous military adventure in Yugoslavia, wich was probably done for US economic aims - the Euro took a plunge as a result and was below the dollar for some years. And the US will be all to eager to send EU (that means Irish, too) army detachments into Iraq and possibly Iran if it is allowed to rule.

The US should rule only itself. European countries should rule the EU. I am, again, not saying that Russia should be in the EU in any short term, but the same applies to Turkey; wrecking te nascent structures with a massive influx of population for US friendship is about as bad as doing the same for access to oil and gas without a border (that's what Russia has).

[smiffy]

Wait, is membership by application or by invitation? I honestly don't know.

Application.

[wizzard]

looking how they have treated those who have raised the Armenian genocide and the fact that this is being pushed for by the US Neocons should in itself case alarm bells to ring.

[Eirenua]

looking how they have treated those who have raised the Armenian genocide and the fact that this is being pushed for by the US Neocons should in itself case alarm bells to ring.

No need for alarm bells to be ringing. It is impossible for Turkey to join the EU, it is not going to happen.

[madura]

I think that Turkey joining the EU would be great for both parties, but since the respective populations are resolutely against it I doubt it'll happen in the foreseeable future.

I would however encourage more nations to band together in supranational blocks of their own, as a means of best controlling their own affairs.
Turkey would be well placed for a leadership role in any such block in the middle east.

It already is a member of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) (see below), which has itself something of a record of blocking candidates for membership on religious grounds. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OIC


The primary goals of the OIC are, according to its Status, "to promote solidarity among all Islamic member states; to consolidate cooperation among member states in economic, social, cultural, scientific, and other fields of activity; to endeavor to eliminate racial segregation and discrimination and to oppose colonialism in all its forms; and, to support all Muslim people in their struggle to safeguard their dignity, independence and national rights, bridging gaps between different culture of the world etc".