Let's not be torn apart by anger

I am certain that some people will say, "Who are you trying to provoke with those words?" immediately after seeing the title of this column. Unfortunately, the quality of intellectual debate in this country has been reduced to the level of unnecessary controversies. As if people cannot express their opinions without provoking others. It is assumed that you can't express your concerns about a development if you have a positive attitude about it. When polarization is delineated so sharply, the country could turn into a madhouse where everyone would become voluntary prisoners of a different camp and every individual would feel obliged to belong to an ideology. This is how we could be torn apart as a society. Still, if you ask to whom this question is addressed, my answer is: "Everybody. First, to ourselves and then to the people around us. And, of course, the active players in the developments that affect society. It is natural that social issues will increase tension in society. When tension is escalated, people may not act with moderation. Then society can be torn apart. Moreover, those who veered from moderation assume that everybody has been polarized because of their own anger. Yet our current stance determines our position in the future. For example, how could those who supported democracy until very recently claim that have not been shifted from democracy when they have already taken a coup-seeking path? The thing that we need to do is promote common sense and moderation and eliminate negative emotions; find a middle way that embraces all segments of society by accepting who they are, that does not allow the alienation of any individual or group of people and which rejects violence without exception. If you want to find a middle way, you need to be patient and stand against marginal provocations from within the legal limits. This path that guarantees freedom of thought also perceives all fundamental rights as acquired sacred values. In order to understand if Turkey has already started to be torn apart or not, we need to answer a few questions. For example: Is the country progressing toward the same target that it pursued before these incidents started? Is there any shift in the country's targets that has become state policy? Has the unity of society been damaged by these incidents? To make the picture clearer, let's rewind a little bit and go back to one month before the incidents. What sort of country did we have one month ago? Despite everything, Turkey was striving to be a member of the EU. It was shown as model, or at least as an example for Arab countries because of its democratic experience. It was a country whose image had been elevated to that of a country that is taken into consideration in its region and the world. It was a country whose recordbreaking economic progress in the midst of a global financial crisis had been resoundingly applauded by the world. Now, everyone must listen to their hearts and ask themselves, "Compared to a month ago, is Turkey the same country?" At the very least, we have to admit that Turkey's image in the international arena has been damaged because of the latest developments. Turkey, which had

been held up as an example, is now presented as an ordinary Middle Eastern country. We should draw a new road map by examining how the previously positive picture of Turkey turned chaotic. There are abundant excuses: Extremist organizations, provocative publications and actions, harsh and offensive discourse, pre-planned plots and opportunist moves. If you want, you can find dozens of excuses to blame others and justify yourself. The fact is that we do not have to list all these excuses. The thing that we need to do is to create a new, peaceful atmosphere instead of wasting our energy by blaming each other for our mistakes. This peaceful atmosphere should both reflect Turkey's democratic and pluralist structure and be compatible with the rest of the world. At least we have to want to reposition the country into its democratic orbit as it was exactly one month ago. This is the step that we need to take in order to eliminate provocations. If we abandon our course, then we will easily sail into the waters of these ill-intended circles. This country has already entered an irrevocable process to become more transparent and liberal. The real goal of those who want to pit the people of this country one against the other is to make Turkey a country that consistently struggles with its internal problems. Once we head towards that dead end street, we become alienated form the world. Sparking clashes between Kurds and Turks, Alevis and Sunni, rightist and leftist, secularist and anti-secularist could cause Turkey to abandon its democratic orbit. Being torn apart by anger will both leave great scars on our soul and isolate us from the spirit of the time.

If Turkey distances itself from the EU membership goal

Whether or not Turkey can become an EU member is a complicated issue. The obstacles created for Turkey's EU bid and the negative attitudes of some EU members toward Turkey are obvious. Let us be fair and admit that Turkey has undergone a major democratization process while following the EU criteria. And, that Turkey would not have initiated its democratization process due only to its inner dynamics without the motivation of such a luminous target as EU membership. Without a doubt, Turkey has become a more transparent, liberal and democratic country. Although the guardianship regime has done its best to stop this process and to reverse the democratization process, many reforms for democratization, transparency and accountability have been made thanks to the people's will and the government's firm stance. As a matter of fact, Turkey has already been rewarded for its determination to become EU member during critical and difficult periods. For example, during the April 27, 2007 coup/memorandum period, the EU showed a democratic reaction and supported the government. Without that democratic support of the EU, Turkey would not have expressed itself properly in the international arena regarding the coup trials and investigations. The EU also passed the test of the closure case brought against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).

Then there's the other side of the coin. Negative attitudes and the small plans of some EU members who have made Turkey turn away from its EU bid. Anti- EU circles in Turkey did not miss the opportunity, either. Provocative stances and the reckless statements of some EU members indicated that double standards were applied to Turkey. Indeed, the attitude of a double standard in the EU has created great disappointment among the Turkish people. On the Cyprus issue, although it was the Greek Cypriots who rejected the Annan Plan, the EU punished the Turkish Cypriots by making Greek Cyprus a full member of the EU. Currently, Turkey's negotiations on 18 out of 35 chapters have been suspended with unfounded excuses. Despite of all the negativity, the truth is that the EU is the biggest source of motivation in Turkey's democratization process. Turkey's determination for its EU bid means the improvement of democratic standards in Turkey. Of course, we can criticize the EU, but we should not abandon the country's EU membership process. If Turkey is derailed from its EU membership process, it will be isolated and put an end its democratization process. Turkey needs to revise its EU target, in order to recover and become a more democratic country.