lbo-talk-digest V1 #5145

[Hakki Alacakaptan]

Unless considerable U.S. pressure is exerted, Turkey is not getting anywhere
near the EU. Although the constitutional reforms currently underway are not
insignificant, many huge problems remain, the most immediate being the
seemingly inevitable secession of the Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus in
contravention of U.N. resolutions and in face of popular Turkish Cypriot
opposition following the EU accession of the Republic of Cyprus (i.e. the
Greek side). Excluding the only secular Islamic state with something
resembling a democracy from the EU expansion is of course pretty stupid
especially in these times but the EU has never distinguished itself by its
foreign policy vision.

As for demolishing the rural economy, we're doing that very well on our own.
Over 60% of the workforce is eking out a miserable subsistence on small farm
plots and voting consistently for the far right and the islamists, who
return the favor with subsidies. Rationalisation of agriculture has to take
place and we will have to live with a massive rural exodus on top of what we
already have in order for Turkey to become a functioning democracy and
economy. The first condition for this - the pauperization of land-owning
peasantry - has been met thanks to the current banking crisis during which
farm loans have been called in and the dollarized prices of fertilizer,
feed, and fuel have shot up.

As for you third question, due to the undercapitalized nature of Turkish
agriculture, it has no support among the capitalist elite. Turkish peasantry
and small-town merchants throw their considerable demographic right-wing
weight through the democratic process, which they simultaneously subvert.
The more liberal, democratic, and pro-european (whatever that means) the
capitalists become - to the point of publishing shocking manifestos against
military political interference - the more they face an islamist/fascist
backlash at the polls, which of course suits the generals just fine.

Hakki Alacakaptan

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
[mailto:owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com]On Behalf Of Dennis Robert Redmond
Sent: 26 Ekim 2001 Cuma 04:40
To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
Subject: RE: lbo-talk-digest V1 #5145

On Thu, 25 Oct 2001, Hakki Alacakaptan wrote:


> their usual methods, mopped them up. Now the main items on the agenda are
> getting foreign loans to avert economic collapse and EU membership.

How far along towards accession is Turkey today? Won't those EU rules on
agriculture hit Turkey's farm sector very, very hard? Or are Turkish
financial and industrial elites sold on the virtues of Eurocapitalism?

-- Dennis