BY SEMIH IDIZ
MILLIYET- When I wrote these lines, the winner of France's presidential election wasn't yet clear. But like many observers, I assume that the right's candidate Nicolas Sarkozy will win. If I'm wrong, this would be a welcome mistake. Firstly, we should know that Sarkozy being elected doesn't signal a success, but rather a failure for France. He represents a rough expression of the French people's basic fears and concerns. European political commentators have already mentioned that among these fears are such elements as Muslim minorities in Europe, migrants and Turkey. But there are bigger problems in the background still.
Things in France aren't like they used to be. It's neither in Europe's vanguard, nor does it know how to maintain the great advantages it provided for its people thanks to the EU. For this reason, Sarkozy will try to do for France what Margret Thatcher did for Britain. Of course, the French people know this pill will be bitter both socially and economically. But they cling to it as their last hope and hope their country will return to its glorious tradition. But the truth is that even this bitter pill won't be able to save France from being ordinary, because the world has changed so much. Instead of keeping up with this world, France has alienated even countries it considered part of its natural cultural backyard. Algerian President Abdulaziz Bouteflika's comment that it doesn't need France because it has friends like the US is the most concrete sign of this.
Followers of the European press know that within the EU, Sarkozy's presidency isn't considered a good development. When I spoke with three EU ambassadors recently and one of them said that Sarkozy was sure to win the elections, I said this means the French people deserve him. Then the ambassador replied, half jokingly and half seriously, yes, but we don't deserve him. It's clear Sarkozy will be unfavorable for Turkey, because his anti-Turkey stance was part of his election campaign. When he was accused of being a supporter of the US, he defended himself by saying that if he were, he wouldn't object to Turkey, which he called the 'apple of the US' eye.' Of course, he is pleased that these remarks encouraged anti-Westernism in Turkey. However, those who look at Sarkozy and say Europe doesn't want us should know that Sarkozy isn't afraid that Anatolian villagers will flock to Europe. Old EU members even started to take measures against new members in this respect. Sarkozy and his compatriots are actually afraid of Turkey as a developing, competitive country, and what's more, one strategically more important than France globally. This development of a country with a Muslim population and its having an equal say with France within the EU is certainly a truth hard to swallow for crypto-fascists.