June 26, 2008
Turkey, triumph and disaster
In a gloomy take on the future of Turkey, published in the FT, Cengiz Aktar wrote that henceforth the only sources of satisfaction for his fellow countrymen would be triumphs on the football field. Alas, even that was denied them last night.
Everybody I have spoken to - as well as the TV panel - agreed that Turkey played much better than Germany and deserved to win. I like to think that this pro-Turk bias reflected what happened on the pitch and the traditional British preference for the underdog - rather than the equally traditional British antipathy towards Germany.
The game was enthralling. But the moment I most enjoyed was when the cameras cut away to the stands, after Germany had scored. Chancellor Angela Merkel was on her feet cheering. But next to her, Michel Platini, the head of UEFA, looked like he was going to throw up. Perhaps Platini was having a flash-back to the two semi-finals that France lost to Germany in the World Cups of 1982 and 1986. He played in both games and in the 1982 match, in particular, France had totally outplayed Germany. Bitter memories.
Still, I think Aktar is too gloomy in thinking that only football can provide emotional satisfaction for Turks. He is forgetting the shock Turkish victory in the Prospect magazine poll of global intellectuals.
The winner was Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish religious philosopher, who is something of a guru for the ruling AKP.
In fact, the top 10 positions in the intellectuals poll were taken by Muslims. Noam Chomsky, who won last time, trailed in eleventh.
This could be a decisive refutation of the idea that the Islamic world is stuck in an intellectual ice age. Or it could be proof of a rather determined voting campaign in Muslim countries. Damn globalisation and the internet for disrupting the cosy world of British intellectual magazines.
David Goodhart, the editor of Prospect, has a rather wry take on the intellectuals poll. He admits that the exercise did not go exactly according to plan. But, looking on the bright side, he is hoping for a surge in circulation in Turkey.
I am afraid that my own credentials as an intellectual are slightly damaged by the fact that I find myself much more pre-occupied by tonight’s Spain-Russia semi-final - than by the exciting prospect of discovering the work of Fethullah Gulen.
I agree with Gideon and would like to add that the most intriguing semifinal football game would be tonight between the Russia and Spain. Let us enjoy the show and see the result.
Posted by: Viktor O. Ledenyov | June 26th, 2008 at 2:20 pm | Report this commentEURO 2008 football championship brings us a number of surprises.
Posted by: Viktor O. Ledenyov | June 26th, 2008 at 2:23 pm | Report this comment[…] Gideon Rachman and Jim Gibbon were also on the pitch. […]
Posted by: Turkey at Jacob Christensen | June 26th, 2008 at 2:38 pm | Report this commentCuriously Spain, Russia and Turkey are the extremes of Europe, the European “Marchs” (Charlemagne term), while Germany is at the Center…
I think that for any country that has won several World and European Championships like Germany and Italy (or American Championships like Brazil and Argentina) another win shouldn´t be as important as the one we could get.
Perhaps in the Final of the Euro Cup some Austrians will say like the DDR in 1989: “Wir sind ein volk”.
hehe
Posted by: Enrique | June 26th, 2008 at 2:44 pm | Report this commentTo kill two birds with one stone, I like to nominate yesterday’s win by Marat Safin at Wimbledon as a joint “triumph” of both Russians and Muslims. (He is a Tartar Muslim although, I am pretty sure, he is not a practising Muslim!).
The article by Cengiz Aktar was quite shocking in the despair it expressed. When you visit Turkey or meet Turks, that is not the impression you form.
They come across as a proud (maybe a bit too patriotic) and optimistic people. Increasingly prosperous too.
Turkey is likely to hit some economic turbulence but, given the oil and commodity prices and the credit crunch, that is to be expected.
To allow women to wear what they like, including the scarf, is surely a sign of progress and self-confidence. Otherwise, what is the difference between those jerks in Iran who force women to wear the Hijab and those jerks in France and Turkey who force them to take it off? In both cases you have denied women a very basic right to choose.
Turkey’s constitution and the special place that the army claims to reserve for itself as the defender of secularism is entirely outdated and harks back to a different time. (Frankly, to an extent, it reminds me of the Iranian constitution and the privileged place it reserves for the Mullahs).
The Turks are surely too grown up to need such nannying by their thuggish generals who are holding back the society by their outdated nationalism.
Finally, hasn’t Euro 2008 been one of the most entertaining football tournaments, ever?
P
Posted by: Pacifist | June 26th, 2008 at 3:04 pm | Report this commentSoccer games, in some ways are like affairs.
Depending who your mate is, the couple exhibits appropriate behaviour. Most people of know this.
So a game with the italians is like pulling teeth
whereas a good game by the brazilians has esthetic qualities approaching ballet.
For euro 2004 i liked the Dutch until they played the Russians who also played a dutch game (both trainers are dutch).
The game the russians played with the dutch was
probably the best. If they play the same game with the spaniards they will probably win.
Italy Spain was a bad game: too claustrophobic.
But, as i said in the beginning the coupling of the spaniards with the russians will produce a different king of music. (Or sex if you prefer)
So the result cannot be known in advance.
Posted by: Cassandra | June 26th, 2008 at 4:52 pm | Report this commentI think the Russian players will be thinking of MONEY during the match: apparently a donor will give each player €1,1 million if the team wins the championship. The Russian team is the youngest in the competition, but I (and a lot of other viewers?) don’t know the players - apparently they are paid fabulous money to stay in Russia and play for home teams there.
I haven’t been following Spain - do they have a “Nadal” in their team?
Germany wouldn’t be in the final imo without the brilliant duo, Podolski and Klose, of Polish origin.
My observation, from a cultural point of view:
Posted by: J.J. | June 26th, 2008 at 6:38 pm | Report this commentI was amazed that hundreds of Dutch supporters jumped off bridges into the Rhine after they lost to Russia. Maybe they were intending to
swim home and save on the cost of petrol? Going Dutch, you know….
But no reports of any Turks jumping into the Rhine last night. Maybe Turks can’t swim?
RCS, as an Israeli do you feel European or Asian?
What do you think about Israeli teams participating in European Champinships and Israeli singers in Eurovision?
Should Morocco have the same opportunity?
Posted by: Enrique | June 26th, 2008 at 9:29 pm | Report this commentSo the ruskies did not come up to scratch.
Great game by Spain. A clean game.
Viva Espagna!!!
Posted by: Cassandra | June 26th, 2008 at 10:22 pm | Report this commentWay cool! Spain V Germany !!!… I am traveling abroad will be reading but unable to post for awhile! J.J. and Cassandra HOLD THE FORT until my return!…
Posted by: Lisa-Helene Lawson | June 27th, 2008 at 3:43 am | Report this commentOf course, SPAIN
Posted by: Enrique | June 27th, 2008 at 3:59 am | Report this commentThat was really a great feeling on Saturday night when Russia reached semi-finals.
It’s like people over the globe (11 time zones from Kaliningrad to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsckiy) just forgot about sleeping and crowded the streets to celebrate. Screaming around, beeping melodies from their cars, holding national flags.
Not same this night, but still Euro tournament is really a great thing.
Posted by: Andrei, Russia | June 27th, 2008 at 10:24 am | Report this commentYep, that game put about 5 million on the price of Fabergas and took about that much off Arshavin’s.
I prefer Spanish artistry to the Germans’ industry and so long as the Spanish defence isn’t exposed, they should be favourites.
Lest we foget the Turks, I look forward to seeing a few of them in the English league next season.
Posted by: Pacifist | June 27th, 2008 at 10:41 am | Report this commentTurkey is suffering an unnecessary esteem crisis at the back of European arrogance. It was good to see Merkel and Gul sitting (nearly) together in Basel the other evening. Hovever, the German Chancellor seemed more engaged with her aides and team than in closing any gaps with the Turkish leader.
One must also note the absence of any expectation for the Swiss Confederation hosts to provide an exalted leader for the occasion.
Before speaking of Turkey, one must speak of EU expansion and what the objectives are.
If it is best practices in governance, expansion is not the right approach. Expansionists are little more than Imperialists.
If it is about sharing wealth with less wealthy neighbours, as the situation has been since at least the time when we were 12, then this logic today fails the tests laid out by Schuman and Monet that mandated strict economic balancing before accession.
The EU’s evolution up to 15 was sound; up to 27 soundness came in political terms and the process seems largely to have succeeded. However, moving to 27 has been achieved only through the extraordinary context of post-1989 Europe. The context for further expansion beyond perhaps the Balkans is muuch weaker. Even for Turkey, which I think offers much to a contemporary Europe–in culture, geography and vast resources.
Before Europe can move forward, it must reconcile Federalist ambitions-cum-demons within its midst. The genius of Europe is in sustaining a rich, varied tapestry of competing and co-operating nations.
Being the world’s current rich neighbourhood, and encouraging–directly or indirectly–less fortunate to come and gather cake crumbs from under its tables has put the Project in crisis. Desire to experience Europe’s delights turns quickly into envy and then a false sense of entitlement.
Generations of Europeans have built national and then EU systems of governance and economies on the basis of planning for their respective future generations. This success is now being undermined by a self-righteous Doctrine of Globalisation (as opposed to the natural evolution of global trade, commerce and mobility).
Returning to Turkey. This thread is based on a bit of whining. Turkey has reason to feel jilted, but had there been clearer vision in leadership, and had not the Americans and other Globalists put pressure on Europe to integrate Turkey in order to serve its own Middle East agendas, the proposition would never have passed the what-if mark.
Now the wondrous Turkish beauty is lamenting that her hair is not blonde enough. The Turkey accession idea has been badly mishandled and should be righted. And not with Blair-style words. (One cannot expect Sarkozy to possess an ounce of the magnanimity required to do so.)
Substantive trade agreements wother with bringing Turkey into a meaningful, respected diplomatic role in the Middle East should be a good start. Both seem due.
Turkey is rich, and a healthy Turkey will be one that enjoys its strategic geography, rich culture and is supported in further developing and exploiting her natural resources. Her economy’s fundamentals are not suited to Brussels’ micro-management. She needs strong leadership within, and will suffer if Ankara becomes subordinate to Brussels, Paris, London or Berlin.
Turkey should be a partner to Europe, but let us drop the “marriage” line. Europe owes Turkey a heartfelt apology and a vote of confidence.
Europe also has to regain the respect for its many nations and structured diversity that its citizens/subjects deeply believe in. It is also time for EU leaders to address concerns that the commonwealth built for our children is presumed now to be shared with the whole world. Talk of demographic ageing and inability to fund our own futures is yet another example of doctinaire manipulation by Globalists, many of whom would’ve been Communists 20 years ago.
Posted by: wcm | June 27th, 2008 at 11:40 am | Report this commentCorrection in the above post: “Substantive trade agreements TOGETHER with bringing Turkey into a meaningful, respected diplomatic role in the Middle East should be a good start. Both seem due.”
Posted by: wcm | June 27th, 2008 at 11:45 am | Report this commentHi WCM,
Just a brief note about Turkey’s role in the Middle East.
There are two problems:
1-) Historically, Turkey was a colonial power in much of the Middle East and they gave a tough time to their subjugated nations. As such, it is hard for them to intervene too much, for example, to send peace-keeping forces.
2-) In the recent decades, Turkey has been in a close clinch with Israel and America. At least its military is, despite the general population’s sympathy towards the Muslim world (of which they are part). Again, this deprives Turkey from the necessary prestige in the Muslim Middle East and detracts from her ability to act as any kind of honest broker or a bridge between East and West.
All the best,
P
Posted by: Pacifist | June 27th, 2008 at 12:41 pm | Report this commentPacifist
I recognise both points and have long been concerned about the long-term effects of the second: diminished self-respect for Turkey.
My points are clearly broad brush strokes and many conditions will need to be addressed in any forward thinking process. The status quo serves none well, but the powers you name are the ones in deepest denial.
As for my points regarding Europe’s demographic timebomb and pensions, these two need to be turned at looked at from several angles. Returning to 1958 is not what I suggest. I am more focussed on 2008 and 2058.
Open communications have had the surprising result of etching big lies in stone. You are doing a good job at trying to scratch down the edges around the characters.
Enjoy the weekend!
C
Posted by: wcm | June 27th, 2008 at 2:08 pm | Report this commentThe current system in Turkey would be a good initial blueprint for Iran. In all the world, i suppose the turks are closest to the Iranians in terms of culture and share our history of forced islamicisation by the arabs.
personally, would like to see the spaniards win something for a change..
Posted by: reza | June 29th, 2008 at 12:30 pm | Report this commentWell, finally SPAIN won. Our second Euro Cup.
Posted by: Enrique | June 30th, 2008 at 1:07 am | Report this commentEnqique: We always say “May the best team win”. In this case, our prayers were answered! Whilst on a roll with answered prayers, I would like to wish GWB and the NeoCons every misfortune possible
Posted by: Pacifist | June 30th, 2008 at 11:08 am | Report this comment