So, what exactly is happening in Turkey, traditionally a very important country for America and the West? Turkey is, after all, a member of NATO, it occupies a strategic position between Europe and the Middle East, it has the potential to be act as a bridge of understanding between us and the Islamic world, and it is often lauded as a secular and democratic Muslim-majority state. For years, America has courted Turkey, and for years Turkey has been a candidate for membership of the European Union.