ABSTRACT
There are a number of stated reforms which are required for Turkey’s current membership bid; in the area of human rights (heavily tied to the confl ict in south-east Turkey); Turkey’s ability to fulfi l the ‘respect for and protection of minorities’ aspect of the Copenhagen criteria; and freedom of expression. In assessing Turkey’s record in these pivotal areas, Barchard argues that:
Western Europeans, and others, discussing human rights in Turkey need to be aware of the danger that their approach to the question is framed by prejudices of which they may personally be unconscious. European scepticism, both on Turkey’s ability to abide by the laws and moral norms of Europe and on its power to reform itself, has a long pedigree and derives ultimately from the racist Turcophobic literature widespread among French and British liberals in the nineteenth century, one of whose aims was specifi cally to prevent the growth of friendly ties between Turkey and Europe.1
