"[EU] membership makes them invulnerable"

Thursday, 25 February 2010, 11:05
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SUBJECT: U/S BURNS' FEBRUARY 18 MEETINGS WITH U/S SINIRLIOGLU
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Classified By: AMB James F. Jeffrey, for reasons 1.4 (b,d)

Turkish Foreign Affairs Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirliolgu:
"[EU] membership makes [Cypriots] invulnerable"

Source

Islamism Vs Kemalism through Wikileaks and mild Islamic eyes

April 2011 in Today's Zaman: "One of the most striking sections of the US diplomatic cables from Turkey

(Wikileaks), published continuously these days by the Taraf daily, is about the “monster” -- a deadly mixture of ultranationalism and racism in Turkey -- ... “but subsequent nationalist backlash indicates the depth of the divide in Turkish society.” ... It points at dangers inherent in Article 301 of the Penal Code (TCK), which criminalizes “insulting Turkishness” ... AKP risks a more volatile electorate and helps to revive a nationalist hydra that could prove exceedingly difficult to put back in the box once the elections are behind them.”"

Rolls Royce ambitions but Rover resources

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16. (C) The greatest potential strategic problem for the US, however, and the one that has some of the commentators howling, is the Turks neo-Ottoman posturing around the Middle East and Balkans. This "back to the past" attitude so clear in Davutoglu's Sarajevo speech, combined with the Turks' tendency to execute it through alliances with more Islamic or more worrisome local actors, constantly creates new problems. Part of this is structural. Despite their success and relative power, the Turks really can't compete on equal terms with either the US or regional "leaders" (EU in the Balkans, Russia in the Caucasus/Black Sea, Saudis, Egyptians and even Iranians in the ME). With Rolls Royce ambitions but Rover resources, to cut themselves in on the action the Turks have to "cheat" by finding an underdog (this also plays to Erdogan's own worldview), a Siladjcic, Mish'al, or Ahmadinejad, who will be happy to have the Turks take up his cause. The Turks then attempt to ram through revisions to at least the reigning "Western" position to the favor of their guy. Given, again, the questioning of Western policy and motives by much of the Turkish public and the AKP, such an approach provides a relatively low cost and popular tool to demonstrate influence, power, and the "we're back" slogan. Source: Wikileaks