Quote:

Originally Posted by Soul_Rebel is not coming

Damn, looks like you're right:

"ONLY last year, things were going so well for Turkey that even its best friends could hardly believe their eyes. The promise of European Union membership had led to an investment boom. A party with Islamist roots was showing that Muslim piety and liberal democracy were compatible. The prospect of joining the EU had spurred reform, with happy results for civil liberty and free speech. Although Turko-scepticism persisted in parts of Europe, there were grounds for hoping that Turkey would become more palatable to the EU, even as the union grew more attractive to the Turks.

Above all, it seemed that demons that had plagued Turkey were being exorcised. One was inflation, now decisively beaten back. Another was the assumption that only a vigilant army?wielding power quietly, but ready to do so openly?could keep a secular republic intact. So it has been good to see devout politicians and republican generals co-existing.

Sadly, some of the euphoria over Turkey's march towards Europe has now evaporated... more