After Nicolas Sarkozy has suffered a crashing defeat in regional elections, I've decided to borrow this headline fom Craig Ferguson.
It's really a great day for Europe and I think of the European interests here, not only the national interests of Turkey.
If this is a prelude to another Sarkozy defeat in the 2012 presidential elections, then France will have a Socialist in charge. Such a president -actually anybody else- has got the potential to lead the EU much better than Sarkozy had done. A deeper vision is on the horizon...
It's a secondary issue, but a Socialist president in France will also be better for Turkey. Instead of this xenophobic/Islamaphobic populist in charge, there will be a different person in Elysee Palace. This difference may be more challenging for Turkey, but the new interaction between France and Turkey will have more positive consequences for Europe and the world.
To summarize:
The French right is against Turkey's EU membership with their vague and inconsistent arguments; but they are also reluctant to criticize Ankara in a constructive way because of fear of commercial repercussions.
The French left supports the EU bid of Turkey; but they also don't refrain from scathing criticism. Such criticism may hurt Ankara from time to time, but it is always constructive and consistent.
So I believe that if something is good for France, it is also good for Turkey and the whole Europe. Sarkozy is good for none of them.
