Turkey (Country)

Turkey is applying for membership but is not currently a member of the European Union. There are five main reasons given for the European Union's failure to accept the bid.

1) Turkish Failure to Recognize the Armenian Genocide:Many states in the European Union have recognized the Armenian Genocide as a fundamental denial of human rights against the Armenians. The Turkish Government currently espouses the view that while there may have been some indiscretions, it does not rise to the level of genocide. However, this view runs contrary to nearly all established scholarship outside of Turkey. Additionally, Turkey compels many world governments to not to accept the term "genocide" using its critical location and foreign policy as weapons against taking this view.

2) Turkish Invasion and Occupation of North Cyprus: In 1974, the Turkish army launched an amphibious assault in Cyprus to protect Turkish Cypriots from an increasingly pro-Greek Cypriot majority. In 1974, the UN established a ceasefire line which has divided Cyprus into northern and southern halfs. To this day there has been no formal peace treaty. Turkey has also moved 200,000 Turkish citizens to the north of Cyprus in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. (Considering that the population of Cyprus is only 1.1 million, this is a huge population transfer.) Being in a state of war against an EU member state, which Cyprus is, and occupying the de jure territory of another country are both violations of the terms of accession to the European Union

3) Turkish Repression of the Kurdish Minority: Kurds represent between 15-25% of the overall Turkish citizenry. They have a unique language, culture, and society from ethnic Turks. Many aspects of Kurdish culture are actively restricted. Their language was illegal for many decades as was the right to name their children with Kurdish names. Some Kurdish cities have been renamed in order to "Turk-ify" them. Some Kurds have risen in rebellion against the Turkish government, but far many more have attempted to have a peaceful discussion with the Turkish government. However, the Turkish government has assassinated numerous Kurdish politicians attempting to make peace and improve the situation. This maltreatment of a significant minority is appalling to European Union member states.

4) Turkey's Poor Human Rights Record: There are limits on the Freedoms of Speech and the Press in Turkey. The Justice System is relatively corrupt and the Prison System is badly maintained. Additionally, there are extra-national executions (where a person is sent to another country to be executed since capital punishment is illegal in Turkey) and relatively common applications of prisoner torture. There are military barracks near most Turkish cities in order to prevent protests and riots. Turkey is a liberal democracy in comparison to most Middle Eastern countries, but not in comparison to the much greater transparency and freedoms in most of the remaining European Union countries.

5) Turkey's Developing Economy: Turkey is a developing economy whereas most of the European Union has a developed economy. Since the European Union is first and foremost an economic union and then a superstate structure, having an economy that operates along different principles from most European economies makes accession more difficult.

There are two additional reasons cited by Turks and their sympathizers as to why their bid has not been accepted.

1) Economic Competition: Although Turkey is a developing country, it has a population larger than every current European Union member other than Germany. Turkey's economy is growing at a very high rate and Turkish infrastructure is completely evolving. Additionally, due to European Union internal migration laws, many Turks would likely migrate to other European countries without VISA issues. This would lead to competition for employment opportunities between citizens of other European Union countries and Turkish migrants. The fear of the growing Turkish economy and the migration of Turks to other countries makes many Europeans wary of Turkish accession.

2) Islam: There is currently no member in European Union which is a majority-Muslim country. Given Europe's frigid reception of Muslim immigrants, many Turks say that the primary reason that they have not been allowed to become a part of the European Union is that their religion and culture have been labelled as "different" and "non-European".

Answer 1

Yes it was , people lived in peace, just like it is now in Turkey.

Answer 2

Answer 1 is correct insofar as its notes that the nature of tolerance that exists in Turkey today is reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire's stances. While the Ottoman Empire was certainly more tolerant than contemporary civilizations in the Middle Ages and early Modern Period, there was certainly a religious hierarchy.

Christians and Jews in the Empire were each governed by a Millet, which was an administrative council devoted to that religion run by the leadership of that religion as appointed by the Sultan. The Armenians, for example, had one Millet, the Greek Orthodox, another, the Slavic Orthodox, a third, and so forth. These Millets would report to the Sultan on the dealings of their religious flock and prevent them from being problematic. Non-Muslims were also required to pay the jizya tax, which was a per-person tax for the privilege of being both non-Muslim and alive at the same time. In different periods, the Ottomans also instituted the kharaj which was a land-ownership tax that applied exclusively to non-Muslims. Given the large Christian populations in the Balkans, this measure was fazed out rather quickly to avoid unrest.

However, the most egregious crime that the Ottomans perpetrated throughout their reign was the practice of devşirme, whereby young intelligent Christian boys and girls would be forcibly taken by their families and deported to Istanbul. Once in Istanbul they would be converted to Islam and trained in the Sultan's private academies. The men would become the fearsome Janissary Warriors, the elite troops of the Ottoman Army and the women would become the Sultan's attendants in the Harem (and if lucky they might give the Sultan a son).

Finally, after the loyalty shown by the Armenians to the Ottomans throughout the 1800s (as opposed to the Greeks, Bulgars, Croats, and Serbs, who openly rose up against Ottoman rule), 1.8 million Armenians were slaughtered from 1917-1919 in what Turkey refuses to call a genocide to this day. (Turkey continues to bully other countries on this issue as well.)

Turkish Tolerance issues currently are not religious as Turkey has relieved itself of most of its religious minorities. However, ethnic tensions, such as with the Kurdish population in the East, Circassian population in the Northeast, and Arab population in the South are recipients of wonderful Turkish hospitality.

Answer 1

The Ottoman Empire was manipulated into WWI by the Germans on the side of the Central Powers when the German navy sent one of its naval vessels into the Bosphorus.

While visiting Ephesus my tour guide said that Germany commandeered a naval vessel; fired on a Russian naval ship and was thus entered into the war.

Answer 2

The Ottomans grew economically weak, due to the economic boom of European Industrialization. Their workers lost their jobs due to cheaper products marketted by their European rivals. The Ottoman government, to save their state from this decline wanted educational, cultural and Militarial reforms which would cost so much that their treasury couldn't bare. So they borrowed, from the European Money lenders hence went severely under Debt.

As we can see the pattern repeating itself in a number of occasions during history, Debt can be used as a very powerful tool in political dealing and decision making, proved to be the case. Europeans were going to war amongst each other and wanted as much manpower at their side as possible. So they demanded their pound of flesh from the ottomans by joining the great war, with whichever side they take, promising to help them pay their Debt, if successful.

As the Allied forces sought the help of Russia, an arch enemy of the Ottomans, the Ottomans decided to side Germany.

This may come to a surprise to some, as how can the ottomans go against their European Money lenders, it is suggested that one reads the financing of the Banking elite of both sides of the conflicts of the Nepoleonic wars and their manipulation of the London Stock Exchange, buying up almost all of the shares of the English industries.

Their is another interesting link, regarding the financiers of the war and the possible resultant decision of the Ottomans. The Balfour Declaration of 1917 was issued.

Which states

Foreign Office,

November 2nd, 1917.

Dear Lord Rothschild,

I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet:

"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country".

I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.

Yours sincerely

Arthur James Balfour
It wanted to increase its territory and help its allies.