Turkey's military and the path to the European Union

The European Union has recently agreed to negotiation talks with Turkey. In order for the requirements for entry to be met, the EU has asked for various policy changes affecting domestic powers of the Turkish military. As a result of this, the military institution in Turkey has reluctantly agreed to various reforms. These reforms have left the military weakened but still have not placed the nation under full civilian authority because of the country's complex domestic problems. Recently, the military has come under more scrutiny from the EU to give up more powers and completely withdraw its influence from the civilian sectors. This thesis will attempt to show that due to the complex historical, geographical, cultural, and political nature of Turkey, the EU should not undermine the protectorate role of the Turkish military. The thesis will also explain the current domestic threats and international problems that the military faces and why further reforms for the military would weaken the fragile secular democracy of Turkey. The thesis will argue that if the EU wants to admit a secular democratic Muslim country into its group, it must not weaken but rather support the very institution that has pushed for modernization and Westernization in Turkey for nearly a century.