Jim Bennett writes (regarding Turkey) that friends don't let friends join the EU.

Given the upcoming turmoil and upheaval (badly needed) in the Middle East, it's not too early to start thinking about desirable post-war scenarios. A useful one to think about, in terms of liberalizing both the governments and economies of the region, might be MEFTA--the Middle East Free Trade Association. We could help form it now, and invite others in as they become eligible, by dint of democratizing and rationalizing their economic policies. It might eventually be integrated into NAFTA, but just having such a stand-alone organization would be a vast improvement for the region. The charter members could be Israel, Turkey and perhaps Jordan.

Something like this would be a much better bet for the Turks, rather than harnessing themselves to European policies with the effect, if not the intent, of holding economies back. It would allow them to forge their own destiny, and help stabilize the dangerous region around them, rather than allying with a Europe that doesn't really want them, while their borders remain bloody.

Once formed, a post-mullah Iran would also be a good candidate, and offering this as a carrot could hasten the day that such an entity appears. Afghanistan could be brought in as well, as a means of continuing to stabilize the latter, as well as Armenia and some of the other appropriate ex-Soviet 'stans.

And obviously, we would want to restructure a post-Saddam Iraq, or whatever new nations emerge from the end of the Ba'athists, to perhaps be a key anchor for such an organization.

It would have another benefit. Ultimately, the only solution to the Palestinian problem is to create neighboring states in which they can go and prosper--states that will no longer encourage them in their hopes of destroying Israel, and instead welcome them in building new, freer societies. Creating democratic Arab states with growing economies can provide a demand "pull" to complement the inevitable Israeli push, as the Israelis come to realize that they simply cannot share a land with many of these people.

I wonder if anyone at Foggy Bottom is thinking along these lines?

I guess the mid-term elections doesn't neccessarily mean the left is dead in this country. It seems there is still a plenty of people who believe in the federal government's ability to re-engineer the world for the better. I makes sense, if you believe that NAFTA is about free trade and not centrally directed regulation of trade, you'd have no trouble believing that to "restructure a post-Saddam Iraq", and to "create neighboring states", will not only be easy, but that it won't be the self-contradictory failure that almost every other government project is.

Interesting assumption: that the Arabs who have never given the Palestinians anything unless it was for bullets, and who have expelled or killed them when given the chance, should suddenly welcome them in if/when they become more stable and democratic.

Not a chance. You could reform or replace every terror-loving government in the Mideast, and all that would change for the Palestinians would be the number of nations viewing them as a security threat.

"The Palestinians" is a pretty all-encompassing phrase, Joe, and one that I believe is too broad to discuss in this context.

Do you really believe that there aren't many Palestinians who would choose to live among fellow Arabs in prosperity? Of course, there will always be the hard core types who won't suffer Jews to live, or Israel to exist, under any circumstances. They will have to be dealt with separately (presumably by a more rational equivalent of our own INS, including background checks).

What is your solution for them? Genocide? Coventry?

There was a time when folks said the Germans couldn't be trusted, and the Brits and French and Germans could never get along. It was trade barriers coming down that changed a lot of that, economically entertwining everyone so that going to war and distrupting things hurt everyone, not just your enemies.

I'm amazed that the French haven't been pushing a variation of this idea as a way to (a) get Turkey to back off (b) slip Iran and maybe Iraq into the mix and help them get around US sanctions (c) harness Isreal.

It's been suggested to me that Turkey would be much more interested in joining NAFTA (or even -- shudder! -- the EU) than a MEFTA, for the simple reason that such would send the message, "We consider the Turks as our equals, not as wogs to use as Gastarbeiter or punching dummies as suits our whim".