Who's the Sick Man of Europe? A Wavering EU Should Let Turkey In

After more than four decades of moving towards greater integration with Europe, Turkey finally received the European Union's decision to open official accession talks. Despite the progress made by Turkey in this bid, observers believe that such a decision will not be beneficial to any of the two parties. Whatever the outcome though, the experience of accession talks between Turkey and Europe will have a profound impact, for better or worse, on both parties for years to come. This paper examines why Turkish accession poses such a challenge for Europe and what it means for Europe's future prospects, both internally and on the world stage. In doing so, the pros and cons of Turkish membership is examined and evaluated and a consideration is given to possible outcomes for both Turkey and the EU.