Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Opinion: Viewpoints
"Turkey's role as peacemaker depends on European Union
01:34 PM CDT on Monday, September 4, 2006
The Bosphorus Strait runs through Istanbul, separating two continents – Europe and Asia. With its strategic placement, Turkey could be the natural bridge between the East and West.
Politically, that won't happen unless the country is admitted to the European Union. Turkey seriously applied in 1991 and negotiations started in 2004 with the expectation it could be admitted in 10 years. Turkish leaders see membership as the route to more respectability among world nations.
Westerners give little thought to Turkey, but its influence on other parts of the world could be greater than people think.
Turkey is a Muslim country with a democratic government. But it has problems: high unemployment, years of high inflation just now stabilizing, and human rights issues. Kurds, one-fifth of the population and the largest ethnic minority – who live mostly in the poorer southeast – have been denied some civil rights. "
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