Turkey's Accession into the EU

On October 3^rd, 2005, Turkey and the European Union began talks and negotiations on its future accession into the union, one that will concoct controversy in the decade to come and can be seen mounting already. Many issues circulate and add to the opposition surrounding the idea of Turkey being part of Europe, the most notable one being its geographic location in between two continents, having only 3% of Turkish land in Europe and the rest in Asia. This decision on a grand scale could pivot the world's future.

On ethic grounds, the admittance of Turkey into the Christian-dominated European Union would upset the current trend that has been around for half a century. A primarily Muslim nation amongst 25 Christian nations seems unthinkable, but in a perfect world would be accepted since we are all created equal and should reconcile our differences. But we do not live in a perfect world and there are too many people out there out to do no good and see the radical religious difference as a threat. History repeats itself and the ongoing Christian vs. Muslim war will not come to an end, and putting Europe in that situation makes the world vulnerable and exposed to easy access by Arab radicals, extending the Union's borders to Iraq, Iran, and Syria. Turkey would serve as the link between Europe and the Muslim world, which should not be mistaken for something negative, but there will always be terrorist groups taking advantage of the stance.

Turkey is a large, impoverished nation of 70 million, even though it claims to be a democracy and is becoming less Third-World and more Western daily. The Turkish economy has a "very unstable growth and sharp recessions despite some recent improvement". Many representatives in the European Union and I, are doubtful if Europe can acquire such a vast and poor nation and deal with the immediate wave of poor, Turkish immigrants into initially, Eastern Europe, which mirrors what has happened in the US with Hispanic immigrants, filling the lowest-paying jobs. Adding dead weight into the European economy would cause itself to have to undergo possible depression and fluctuation in inflation and the Euro currency.

In comparison with the European Union's current members, Turkey's political power would greatly influence European politics and representation within the union due to its grandiose land mass and population, contrasting the small, compact European nations. Through speculation, I can predict from inferences of previous historical situations such as this, that the dark side of the Arab world will try to penetrate its beliefs and customs through Turkey, using it as a buffer nation. Arab influence will be prevalent in the European Union's decisions, not representing the true intentions and issues that need to be addressed in the continent because of Turkey's large population and obvious deciding presence. The European Parliament would be altered unfairly and changes would have to be made to make participation equal for every country.

Analyzing the effects that a Turkish sphere of influence would have on Europe's flourishing economy and omnipotent currency can leave any intellectual in a daze. Controversy enveloping this subject is abundant, with those who see only the positive, "pretty" side of the accession versus those who take everything apart and see that the negatives outweigh the positives. Turkey, European? Not in this century.