A Tough Challenge for Globalization

A Discussion of Turkey’s EU Membership

Today we are witnessing the unfolding of a new history; a history that can be recorded in unprecedented detail due to our unlimited capacity to store information; a history, on the contrary to its preceding form, can be recorded by peoples of different classes, races, countries and continents. A history shaped by and about globalization - the phenomena that keeps the most brilliant minds of our century occupied. Currently this phenomena is at test in different parts of the world; the peace process in Palestine, immigrant problems in Paris, outsourcing of jobs in Midwest USA to India and Turkey’s bid for EU membership are just some of the real life implications of the challenges that face globalization. In the case of Turkey’s EU bid, the stakes are really high; to shut the doors of Europe to Turkey might perpetuate the so-called ‘clash of civilizations[1]’ and the above mentioned new form of history will hold Europeans accountable for the consequences - a situation which the Europeans have deservedly experienced again and again after colonialism, WWI and WWII. On the other hand, for some people including European politicians, to open the door and welcome Turkey to Europe might mean a confirmation of the ‘end of a history[2]’ which, despite the guilt, the Europeans enjoyed so much. The pressure is on; the public on both sides of the story expect a resolution sooner or later and considering the pace of things in our day, expectations will only grow. Therefore, in order to resolve this issue in a healthy manner, it is necessary to have in-depth discussions of EU- Turkish relations, looking at historical factors in political, economic and social spectrums.

This paper argues that the foundation of the political union of Europe, namely the European Union (EU), is the pragmatic notion of creating peace and prosperity for the people of Europe. This argument follows that the EU is not the political embodiment of a supranational European Identity; in fact, such an identity can only be arbitrary. The paper goes on to discuss how this reality reflects on the question of enlargement regarding Turkey. Building upon an analysis of the history of the EU-Turkey relationship, it identifies the economic, political and social implications of Turkey’s membership and also discusses the roots of the resistance against it. The paper is concluded by a re-thinking of the membership problem as a tough test for globalization and by emphasizing the ‘impossibility of saying no[3]’.

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[1] Huntington, Samuel “The Clash of Civilizations”, Foreign Affairs Magazine, 1993

[2] Fukuyama, Francis. “End OF History”?” , National Interest Journal, 1989

[3]“The Impossibility of Saying No” The Economist, September 16