How the Turks made Europe Safe for Capitalism

The basic argument is not new in historical circles. The theory is that the incursions of the Ottoman Empire -- all the way to the gates of Vienna! -- forced European principalities to stop squabbling against each other and join forces against a common enemy. This is supposed to have had a huge impact on the ability of fledgling Protestantism to survive the bloody Counter-Reformation. Even mighty Catholic potentates like Charles V and the King of the Hapsburgs Ferdinand I were forced to grant concessions to German Protestants in order to gain their help in fighting off the Turk.

Harvard development economist Dani Rodrik, himself of Turkish descent, pointed out Iguyun's paper in his own consistently excellent blog, observing impishly that "you would think the [European Union] would be a bit more hospitable to Turkey's membership aspirations," given the Ottoman Empire's crucial contribution to Europe's economic development. That seems unlikely, but it does raise an entirely different question. If the military threat from the Turks at least temporarily staunched internecine war between Catholic and Protestant, maybe the world today needs a similar external menace to reduce "clash of civilization" tensions between Islam and the West.

Labels: EU, Turkey