Vasıf Öngören's theatrical masterpiece "How Will Asiye Survive?" has a distinctive place in the history of Turkish theater. The play, which went to stage in the early 1970s, features the class distinctions and political outlook of that time. The scriptwriter shows us that it is not possible to get out of the system in a humane way. Poor families, who migrate from villages to large cities, strive to survive under harsh metropolitan conditions.The protagonist of the play, Asiye is the daughter of one of these poor families.Asiye, whose attempts to climb the social ladder end up frustrated, becomes a prostitute at the end of the play.
As well as being translated into many languages including Russian, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Yugoslavian and French, the play was also included in the repertoire of Sweden's Royal Theatre and was televised as a film in the Soviet Union at that time.
Do not get me wrong, but the current situation of Germany, which behaves independently from the EU and displays an individual attempt to get out of the crisis, reminds me of the desperate situation of Asiye. However, there is a slight difference between the two: Asiye is the daughter of an impoverished family, whereas Merkel is the chancellor of one of the wealthiest European countries.Can Merkel find herself in an unexpected situation while trying to save herself just like Asiye? I suggest all German people ask this question to themselves on behalf of their chancellor.
As known to many, France has also become complicated as they do not know which path to follow with the economy.Nowadays, the growth and inflation outlook of the entire of Europe is deteriorating and, moreover, relations between the European countries are posing risks.Last week, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls submitted his resignation and the same week European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi said that the EU is on the verge of deflation.
Anatole Kaletsky wrote an interesting article on this matter in the New York Times and asked several important questions to Europe: can Europe turn the risk of recession into an opportunity for salvation? Will Germany allow Europe to seize this opportunity? According to Kaletsky, this is the last chance for Europe and if it misses this opportunity, what lies ahead for Europe are popular uprisings and disintegration. If Europe enters a period of recession like Japan, it cannot overcome it as successfully as Japan. If Germany allows, the EU has to transit into a new economic policy which encapsulates tax cuts and the combined application of expansionary monetary and fiscal policies , as the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe did. Germany acknowledges the idea of a common monetary policy to some extent; however it objects to a common fiscal policy.
For me, the solution suggested by Kaletsky is very difficult to apply to Merkel's politics. Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) sides with Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and they act against the spirit and core of the EU's existence by following a nation-statist path. CDU abuses SPD as a partner to his national politics, or rather, SPD, which is now incapable of doing its own politics, has to adopt CDU's politics.
During the takeover ceremony, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stressed that Turkey would not give up its goal of becoming an EU member. This has importance for the EU as much as it has for Turkey, as the EU can get nowhere as long as it is entrapped by Germany.Southern and eastern Europe need a new expansion including Turkey.
The questions of whether this expansion will be achieved despite Germany or how it will be achieved are topics of another discussion. However, an expansion has become a vital need for the EU. The end of Merkel's individual attempt to survive is blatantly obvious as it will not be different to the bitter end of Asiye.
Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.
You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.