I've been to Turkey a few times, the last a couple of years ago to speak at a government conference on EU entry. I didn't make myself the most popular person in the room when I pointed out at the start that, however critical I thought it was that the EU brings Turkey into the fold, it wasn't going to happen. France and Germany will simply not let it happen. End of story.

(I especially enjoyed the trip because when, in typical Turkish fashion, the conference overran and I was still in the hall an hour before my plane was due to take off, and I was freaking out that I would miss it, the organisers - the health ministry - laid on an armed police guard of outriders to whisk me at speed through the traffic to the airport, and then to take me on a buggy at the airport through customs and on to the tarmac. It was huge fun!)

Daniel Pipes has excellent summary of the fraught situation in Turkey today. I won't extract it - do read the whole thing.