Turkish Premier Erdogan's outburst in Davos probably had little impact on the Middle East or Turkish domestic politics for that matter, but it has probably set back Turkey's desire to join the E.U. by a decade. Turkey is the home of holocaust denial. It is in fact a crime in Turkey to mention the
slaughter of over a million Armenians publicly, The Holocaust which occurred in Europe in the forties was the progeny of the one that occurred a generation earlier in Asia Minor.
There is considerable opposition to Turkey in its quest to join the European Community. Some of that opposition is undoubtedly Islamophobic
in nature. Erdogan, an Islamist, plays right into the Islamophobic
stereotype held by many Europeans. His hot headed performance this past week did little to quell the unease. However, the real stumbling block to Turkish aspirations is its steadfast refusal to acknowledge the Armenian slaughter, to assume responsibility, and move on.
Perhaps Germany's greatest achievement in the post-war period has been its ability to grapple with its own past, and to atone. Turkey has never shown the least inclination to take the path of expiating its national soul. How can Muslim Turkey seriously join Christian Europe with the unanswered blood of more than a million Christian Armenians on its hands? Absent some serious national soul searching, an admission, and an apology, it seems that Turkey has little chance of joining Europe. Of course the Prime Minister's histrionics did little to ease the European mind.
While his actions may have played well in the Arab street, they positively
hurt Turkey in its halting quest for modernity.