There has been quite a bit of comment (also here) on Monday's accession of Bulgaria and Romania into the European Union. Of course, this is by no means the end of Europe's expansion process.

And then there's Turkey. Of course, the Turkey question is the most fraught of all. The Turks are increasingly frustrated with European concerns over expansion (some legitimate (pdf), some less so). But expansion, partly because of the current political climate, partly because of wider cultural concerns and partly for good reasons, is going to be a heavy pill for Europeans to swallow.

One of the less recognised elements in the Turkish question is the army. I get the impression (partly from this debate) that the Turkish army is looked to to protect the ideological interests of the Turkish elites, specifically against encroachments into the secular architecture of the state.

I'm reading conflicting reports about the chances of a coup in Turkey over the next year. There was a report in Newsweek to that effect, and rumours are circulating elsewhere too. On the other hand, this rejoinder claims that Newsweek is well off the mark.

Nevertheless, coup or no coup, while the Europeans are concerning themselves with red-herring questions over secularism, more important issues - such as over the role of the military in public life - are not the subject of sufficient scrutiny.

Partly, I suppose because the question of the army's role (at least in the eyes of some of its generals) isn't entirely restricted to Turkey.