Many of the nations of the Balkan are far
closer to Russia than to the West and tend to regard the latter with
suspicion and hostility. Turkey, if it so chooses, can easily assume
the role of the protector of Balkan Moslems - sure to provoke Greek
ire. A military conflict among two NATO members will constitute a body
blow to the credibility and prestige of this alliance in search of an
enemy. Moreover, Turkey is the prefect staging ground for operations in
the Middle East, Central Asia and China. It constitutes a vital
American interest and the pivot of NATO's southern flank. But it is
derided by the EU, its NATO membership notwithstanding.
It is here, in the Balkan, that the New World Order and the End of
History hypothesis are being tested. A new European balance of the Big
Powers will emerge here. But hitherto, alas, this particular concert of
Europe has been quite a cacophony.
The Eastern Question Revisited
A lecture organized by the daily "Politiken"
in Copenhagen, Denmark
June 25, 2001
By: Dr. Sam Vaknin
When the USSR disintegrated virtually overnight, in 1989, its demise
was often compared to that of the Ottoman Empire's. This was a very
lacking comparison. Turkey's death throes lasted centuries and its
decomposition was taken to be so certain that its division and
partition (the "Eastern Question") animated European geopolitics for
the better part of two centuries.
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