EU Enlargement - Analysis about magazine and newspaper articles [5A]
Silvia Baldo - From The Economist - Special Report - Article 1 - Why Europe must say yes to Turkey
TITLE:
Why Europe Must Say Yes to Turkey

SOURCE:
The Economist, a weekly magazine which reports business and economic news, on 18th September 2004

TOPIC DISCUSSED:
The topic discussed by the journalist in her/his article is why Europe must say yes to Turkey. He/She who writes explains the reason why yes must be the answer of Europe to the Turkish question.

CONTENT:
Just from the title the journalist introduces his/her opinion about the question of Turkey joining EU. Reading it, why Europe must say yes to Turkey, the reader could imagine its content. The article is made up of three sequences:
  • The EU faces a momentous decision
  • Risk and reward
  • Islamophobia

the first one introduces the problem and explains all possible crucial points in detail in the second part. Then the last sequence focuses on the most important point that may most interests the debate on Turkish entry.
In the past, as told in the first part of the article, it was easy to delete Turkey's question to join EU, because Turkey is a country which has suffered for a political and economic instability, which has a great record of human-rights abuses. But nowadays the situation has changed thanks the Erdogan's governament that has promoted reforms to meet the "Copenhagen criteria" during the last two years .
As the journalist writes in his/her text a decision to negotiate Turkey's entry entails risks for EU. That is why the second sequence analyses the fuor features which come to surface in the first one: Turkey is a very large country in respect to the smallness of many present members. Poverty is harder because most of people are farmers. Then not all the country, in geographical terms, is in Europe, but in 1963 Turkey was sufficently European to be a candidate one day. The last point which is the biggest worry of all is Islam, a religion which is totally incompatible with the secular and liberal democracy present in Europe.
In the third part the journalist makes his/her considerations about the topic discussed. Europe must take a very hard decision: if it says yes there will be the possibility of a political and economic growth of the country. If it says no and refuses the Turkey's question the decision could be badly interpreted in the Muslim world. It might be interpreted as a blow to all Islam.

PERSONAL COMMENT:
In my opinion this is a very good article, because the journalist has been able to explain the problem and make her/his opinion clear very well. She/He has chosen the right information to discuss the matter, and the language used is not so difficult to understand.