For years, Turkey has been the West’s great hope.
For years, Turkey has been the West’s great hope. It is a Muslim democracy and loyal Nato member, ally in the war on terror and living rejection of the idea of a clash of civilisations. We flattered ourselves that it was keen to join the European Union so it could further ‘modernise’ — by which we meant westernise. As Turkey became richer, so we imagined, it would become a more moderate and a dependable ally of the free world.
It is now clear that this was a fundamental misjudgment. Turkey is indeed growing richer, but the extra wealth is only lubricating its slide towards extremism. Its military links with Israel, so long a defining feature of its pro-western foreign policy, were spectacularly ended a fortnight ago after the Israeli Defence Force raided a flotilla bound for Gaza and nine Turks were killed.
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