Turkey triggers the final dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire

Modern Turkey is what is left of the dismembered Ottoman Empire. Since it is composed of a variety of tribes, religions, languages, and ethnicities, it is susceptible to even further disintegration.

Modern Turkey was founded following the abolishment of the last Ottoman Caliphate by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (the ‘Father of Turks’) in 1924. Atatürk served as President of Turkey from 1923 to 1938 and modernized the country in terms of justice and education; he changed the Turkish alphabet from a modified and difficult to learn Arabic script that few were literate in to a near-universally understood Latin form; and he attempted to introduce a European way of life.

In reality, however, Turkey remained a west Asian, Islamic country that was never able to achieve the European identity that Atatürk dreamed of.

In the last 30 years, Turkey had several opportunities to set a course towards a realistic and stable relationship with the European Union. Western Europeans saw in Turkey a large growing market where they could sell their products and a metropolis of several million Turks who migrated to Europe as cheap labor. Europeans wanted Turkey close, but not in Europe.

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Turkey triggers the final dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire | New Europe

Tunisia Saudi Arabia relations: Hundreds of Tunisians demonstrate against Saudi MBS visit - putting US President Trump to shame as to his silence on MSB's involvement murder Khashoggi

Hundreds of Tunisians took to the streets of Tunis last night to protest against the state visit of Saudi Crown Prince

Photos of demonstrators on Habib Bourguiba Street were shared hundreds of times on social media, with protestors rejecting the welcome offered to the Crown Prince by the Tunisian government.

Hashtags were set up to rally support online, including “There is no welcome for Bin Salman”, and “No to the killer of Khashoggi in Tunis”. Many also condemned the Crown Prince’s role in the war of Yemen, amid news last week that some 85,000 children have died from malnutrition over the past three years.

A smaller protest was also held outside Tunis’ municipal theatre, with demonstrators putting on a short play mocking the prince and holding him responsible for the killing, and reported dismemberment of Khashoggi.

Note EU-Digest: While Tunisians demonstrate in the street against the Saudi Crown Prince visit, we look across the Atlantic to America and unfortunately don’t see a champion of freedom and human rights in the White House anymore, instead we see a preening, clueless clown's non-reaction – to the Saudi regime’s brutal killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi . 

Yes indeed lavish Trump with praise. Treat him like a king. Wave a fistful of money in front of his face. And if you want to, kill an inconvenient journalist; he’ll look the other way. 

Come on Republicans and Democrats, take off your blinders and get rid of this ever increasing danger to what little is still left of American democracy.

 Read more: Hundreds of demonstrate over MBS visit – Middle East Monitor