Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces an uphill battle as he balances Islamic and liberal reforms, while corruption runs rampant in the Turkish government.

In February a YouTube video was posted depicting conversations between Erdogan and his son Bilal, with the latter confessing to his father of failing to conceal and transfer anonymously some 30 million euros, of questionable origin.

His son Bilal, then asks the father to “fix” the other 10 million, also of questionable origin.
The break between the prime minister and President Abdullah Gül implies then that the vast majority of the AKP Party, a political organization with extensive resources, intends to bring Erdogan as chairman.

The Turkish economy once heralded as a miracle, is taking hits due to corruption.
Members of the Kemalist military structure, which has attempted several times, even during Erdogan reign, to strike against Islamist parties, is now assimilated, by Erdogan, to opposition parties and organized under President Gül.

And to think that the EU has always required, for Turkey's entry, the deletion of a clause in the Turkish Constitution that allows the military to outlaw governments and parties.

Necmettin Erbakan, the Turkish engineer educated in Germany, has operated as an instrument of the Muslim Brotherhood since 1971, in Turkey, with the “National Order Party” closed by the military during the coup in 1971.

The Milli Gorüs, the main organization of the Turkish community in Germany, is openly linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.

The model of Erbakan and his successor, the AKP, is strongly linked to Islamic religion and national identity and, especially, the overcoming of secular Kemalist nationalism.

Dangerous for the future of NATO in Central Asia and the link between India and China.

Another issue is that relating to the relationship between the unification, pursued by the AKP, of all communities of Turkish origin in Central Asia, and the politics of the Atlantic Alliance.

For many years, Turkey has been the second military power after the United States that NATO has relied on for a buffer against the Soviet Union in the greater Middle East.

Consider Moscow's relationship with the PLO and the historical link between Moscow and Baathist Syria.

It is crucial to rethink the role of Turkey. Turkey can be key to creating a positive relationship between European countries and their organizations. But only if Turkey eschews radical Islam. All indications are that it is fostering radical growth. It is therefore essential to prevent Turkey from becoming NATO’s reliance.

Since historically, Turkey has shown that it cannot contain radical Islam, it will only aid the rebirth of Russia, and militant Islamism will flourish in Western Europe.

Professor Giancarlo Elia Valori is president of "La Centrale Finanziaria Generale Spa," one of Italy's leading financial firms.