On his first visit to Turkey, British Prime Minister David Cameron addressed the diplomatic elephant-in-the-room from the outset--Turkey's stalled membership talks to join the EU.  The PM did so using three basic influence stratagems to make his point:

• He exhorted the political union's members to speed up membership talks with Turkey (Challenge).
• He compared hostility in some parts of the EU to Turkey's bid with the way the UK's entry was once regarded (Screen).
• He promised to "pave the road" for Turkey to join the EU, saying the country was "vital for our economy, vital for our security and vital for our diplomacy" (Filter).

Now to test the system, let's see how skeptical EU member states respond:

• France is diverting on the first bullet, saying that a "special type" of membership can be granted to Turkey that falls short of full recognition (Red Herring).
• Critics are contradicting Cameron's Screen play, noting that Britain was never a Muslim country (Mirror + Recast).
• Skeptics are further rebutting Cameron, pointing to contradictory data about economic benefits and potential issues of military cooperation (Mirror + Recast).

All plays accounted for.  Could it be that French President Nicholas Sarkozy and others in the anti-Turkey bloc are sneaking a peek at the Standard Table?

Posted by: John Koval

Photo Credit: terkume.com