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Article: The wat that cannot speak its name; there is no Kurdish question, say the Turks.(A Survey of Turkey)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- June 8, 1996
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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EVERY country has its own private nightmare. Turkey's is disintegration. The country is surrounded by neighbours that have either invaded Turkish territory at some time in the past or been Turkey's subjects. Turks fear that their country's internal divisions will be exploited by foreigners who will pull it to pieces. The Turkish watchword, therefore, is unity in all things.
The Turks have learnt their history lesson. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries the European powers gradually undermined the Ottoman empire in the name of nationalism. Greeks, Serbs, Bosnians, Bulgarians and Egyptians secured their independence from the Caliphate with help from Britain, ...