Turkish Delight

New York Times: Political Power of Turkish Army Seems to Fade (Requires free registration)

Dan Drezner's Post and Reader Comments

A civilian is now presiding over Turkey's national security council. This is the first time since the 1980 military coup that a civilian has exercised such control. Arguably, it marks a slow, subtle change in Turkish military attitudes.

If this marks a permanent shift, the European Union will likely be quite pleased. Turkey is quite eager to join the club, and it's reforms like these that are needed if the nation wants the key to the EU clubhouse. However, with the military exercising a looser grip on politics, there is the possibility, if this grip loosens further, that the nation may devolve towards Islamic fundamentalism. It's like the dilemma in Latin America in the 1980s--at what cost do you pledge your support (and sometimes real concrete assistance) to military bureaucracies-authoritarian states in order to ward off dangers that are arguably worse than the human rights records of these governments? And who has the moral authority to make that choice? Let's hope it's all for the best. Discussion encouraged.