Due Turchie e un ponte indispensabile
G. Ferrari, Avvenire
February 24 2010

Behind the attempted coup in Turkey are concealed deep mechanisms that dig their roots deep into this country’s history. Indeed, it is reasonable to think that the conspiracy is not exclusively the fruit of Government propaganda, fearful that public opinion might take its distance from the AKP and might end up supporting Kemalism. At the same time, it is equally reasonable to doubt the fact that behind the Ergenekon case there might really have been a coup d’état brewing to overthrow the fragile Turkish democracy. What seems likely is rather the fact that the two souls of contemporary Turkey are on the eve of the final countdown: on the one hand, a State that calls itself Islamic and that in this way progressively distances itself from Europe, arousing the opposition of some of its most influential members (starting from Paris); on the other, a nationalist secularism that seeks to get its own country closed to Europe by resorting to embarrassing methods, staring with military intimidation. Both parties involved seem destined to aggravate the perplexities of the international community around Turkey, which however continues to dispose of important supporters in the EU membership process. Starting from Italy.