The pro-government daily Yeni Söz’s headline on Tuesday claimed that Turkey would conquer Europe in three days if a campaign were to be launched in the morning.
Based on a prediction that Turkey would become a superpower put forward last year by George Friedman, the founder of Stratfor, a leading global intelligence and consulting firm that provides geopolitical analysis and forecasting to individuals and organizations around the world, the daily claimed Turkey was the most powerful country in the world.
“Friedman said the Turks can beat the Germans in an afternoon and the French, if they show the courage to turn up, in an hour. Friedman was proven wrong. According to a survey conducted by international research center Gallup that asked ‘Would you fight for your country?’ the citizens of Europe already have their white flags ready to wave in the event of a war. In the great Germany, only 18 percent of people say ‘I would fight for Germany.’ Twenty-nine percent of French, 27 percent of English, 21 percent of Spanish and 20 percent of Italians said they would fight for their country,” said the daily.
“So according to these results, if we leave for a conquest in the morning, we can do the evening prayers in Bellevue Palace! Taking into account the reality of July 15 [the day of a botched coup attempt in Turkey], we would have Rome on the second day,” added the daily.