Yesterday on C-SPAN an author gave a lecture on this very subject. He felt that Turkey would be admitted if they took responsiblity for their history much like Germany did.

He also pointed out that even into the 90's women and children were being imprisoned and tortured to obscure freedom and civil security within it's society.

While it may be true that the majority of the people want to join the international community and leave it's history behind (much like the people of Iran). I can't conceive letting that gov't which as I said tortured innocent people (in undiscribable ways)just recently, into the UN.

But of coarse I won't be suprised if they get in with no requiremnt to change.

I agree with Friedman's assertion that Turkey is a key link to Middle Eastern democracy and we need to support their moderate path, but he makes a lot of weird statements in this piece.

Personally, I think Turkey should screw the EU for now (as the EU tends to be screwing itself pretty well thanks to intransigence on budgetary deficits by France & Germany) and strike an economic zone with Eastern Europe. Many in Eastern Europe are getting cheesed that they are being viewed as "third class" Europeans, and the same is true of Europe's view of Turkey. (For all the egaligtarian rhetoric coming out of social democratic Europe, the traditional big states still have very hierarchical views of the world.) An EEU (Eastern Europe Union) with Turkey included would really freak the frogs (and might just well attract Spain, Portugal and Greece -- depending if you put Greece in Eastern Europe or not). The real economic and political dynamism of Europe will be coming from Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Turkey in the coming decade or so.

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