[How to win over my dad]
A thoughtful, emotional and broad appeal for Turkey’s EU membership
by
WOUTER KLEIJN [*]

Recently the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has been under heavy criticism although it promises to do better. But even when they do and speed up reforms, it doesn't guarantee membership. Supporters of Turkey's EU bid, whether from Turkey or Europe, would benefit from a more thoughtful, emotional and broad appeal to dramatically increase chances of membership.

Turkey is unpopular in Europe, and it is this public opinion that's creating a problem for future membership. It is partially based on this popular electoral vote that politicians are reluctant to speak out on Turkey's behalf and to voice support (they also have no idea how to make the case; we will get to that). Moreover, it poses a threat to membership in the long run; even though referendums are halted at the moment in France and Austria, that doesn't mean they won't come back.

What to do?

First and foremost, Turkey should speed up the reforms, it's just that simple. At the end of the day, Turkey wants to be a member of the EU, not the other way around. And, really, it shouldn't be that difficult. If the majority of the country wants you to continue with the work that brought Turkey closer to the EU (as a recent MetroPOLL survey showed us), contributed to a big election victory in 2004 and earned you a lot of respect worldwide and diplomatic leverage, why do you slow down that very process? It's a rhetorical question for the current administration. Moreover, some level of maturity is required. Yes, a lot of prejudices and political games are making the process difficult and unfair, but in the end access to membership is simply too important to be disappointed about unfair treatment. It's like sports; even if your opponents enjoy superior training facilities, do you train even harder or do you let your head hang low with an Olympic medal at stake?

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (front left) and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (front right) during a news conference after a meeting in Brussels on Jan. 19.

However, even if reforms are pushed and more maturity is shown, that's not going to seal the deal completely. How can Turkey's case be made effectively? It requires a more thoughtful and broad approach.

In 2007 Antonia M. Ruiz-Jimenez and Jose I. Torreblanca published a study called "European Public Opinion and Turkey's Accession." Their main findings were that support for Turkey's membership was mostly based on post-national arguments like human rights, democracy, the rule of law and secularism -- shared values, so to say. Opponents were mainly using identity-based arguments like Islam versus Christianity, geography and history. It's important to note, cost and benefit arguments, such as the economy and security, didn't do much for either side.

Hey, aren't supporters usually putting emphasis exactly on these long-term benefits? Yes, but let's face it, the economy of the EU member states will continue to grow without Turkey as a member. Moreover, something "clinical," like a slightly improved gross domestic product (GDP) 10 years from now, will not win over anyone. The same goes for Turkey as a role model for the Middle East, the strategic partner in the region. It really doesn't interest a lot of skeptical Europeans or Turks. So, why are we in this? Because of the values we share. We should be talking about the shared values in terms of basic needs, secularism, democracy and human rights. Tell them Turkey has been looking to the West since the Turkish state was established in 1923 and even before that.

So, we know what arguments to use, but how should they be put?

In 2007 a highly influential work was published called "The Political Brain." The author, psychologist Drew Westen, argues convincingly how emotion, not reason, influences the eventual vote. Although his work aims at helping the Democrats reclaim the initiative, debate and eventually the American vote, the book should be on every politician's bookshelf -- no matter what party he represents, no matter where he's from. One of the pointers in the book is to create a powerful emotional narrative to win support.

Guess what? The bid for EU membership is all about emotional appeal. To create a strong emotional narrative you must use an argument that resonates with emotions, not rationality or logic. Here is an example:

Today I stand in front of you, honored and humble. I stand in front of you knowing that we have a lot in common.

We both share a firm belief in the separation of state and religion and the freedom to express one's opinion. We share the values of democracy and pursue economic prosperity, so we can all live our lives the way we want to within the borders of the law. We hate and condemn terrorism and extremism because they threaten what we all stand for.

Now, is Turkey different than Germany or Spain? Without a doubt. Just like there are big differences between Germany and Spain. I'm also the first one to admit our flaws; there is still more work to be done. But I stand here today, and I know I speak for all my fellow countrymen, when I tell you that we will do everything it takes to get there.

Despite some differences we may have, I think what really unites us is something that exceeds everything else. It is that we want a good life for ourselves and the ones we love. Since the birth of modern Turkey, we've been looking at Europe, and I remember this from growing up as a child as well.

And so today I personally invite every European citizen -- Italian, German, Polish, Dutch, French, Austrian, British, Spanish and all others -- to come to Turkey and to ask any random person on the street: What do you want in life? They want a peaceful existence, with a government that protects their rights and provides shelter when needed. We want to send our kids to better schools, and we hate terrorism and extremism because they put a free society like this in jeopardy. That's what we want, like everyone else, and that's why I stand here today.

Fine-tune this message, adjust it to specific countries, use quotes, but shout it out loud and repeat it (after picking up some books on communication and practicing in front of the mirror).

It should be declared by English-speaking President Abdullah Gül or the newly appointed chief EU negotiator, Egemen Bağış, at an important EU meeting and through a couple of interviews with major broadcast channels throughout Europe. Frame the debate effectively, and you win it.

Is that all? No, we ought to use a more broad strategy called the "What you see is what you get appeal." İstanbul will be a European Capital of Culture in 2010, a major opportunity to show off its grace and beauty. Promote İstanbul everywhere, but be sure to put the emphasis on Taksim and Bebek, not Sultanahmet and Eyüp. Are the latter something to be ashamed of? On the contrary, tourists will surely enjoy these places a great deal; however, if the goal is to win membership, from a communications point of view, the endless images of minarets won't win over the skeptical Europeans.

Also increase cultural, business and educational ties and exchanges starting today; get more Europeans over here. Imagine Gül, as part of his new powerful speech, giving away 100 tickets to random EU citizens to visit Turkey. This will create headlines and reclaim the debate and initiative.

On and off, I've spent about a year living in İstanbul. From the many tourists I've talked to, everyone is impressed by İstanbul, the mix of history and modernity. It doesn't mean İstanbul is Turkey, it doesn't mean all these tourists will go home and convince their relatives and friends Turkey needs to be in the EU, but it does help. My parents would never have come to Turkey if it wasn't for me. And I remember as we were walking through İstanbul, my dad suddenly said, out of nowhere, "You know, we really should let them become a member of the EU, of course." I doubt whether he would've felt the same if it wasn't for his visit. No ad, speech or debate comes even close to being that powerful.

This is just a very limited version of a much more complex strategy (how about the role Americans could be playing -- talking about emotional appeal: Get US President Barack Obama to speak out for Turkey's membership!). All of this needs to be elaborated on much more, something the constraints of a newspaper do not allow for. The bottom line is that the time has come for those who are genuinely concerned about the future of this process to seriously work on a more thoughtful, emotional and broad appeal to make sure membership comes as close as possible.

[*] Wouter Kleijn is a Holland native and journalism student who worked for the Obama campaign. He currently resides in İstanbul and can be reached at wouterkleijn@hotmail.com.