Another reason that both violence and political breakdown have been avoided in Turkey is the very corruption that is partly responsible for the current crisis in the first place. Corruption greases the wheels of creaky, unresponsive bureaucracies, creates informal networks of power so that things get done when they otherwise wouldn't, and allows people to purchase power in third world systems that they would otherwise violently revolt against. Turkey, however, is at the point where such corruption has outlived its usefulness and threatens an Asian-style financial meltdown. Any meltdown in Turkey, however, would be far more serious than an economic meltdown in, say, Indonesia. That's because a Turkish economic disaster would have geopolitical consequences for the United States far more severe than the various economic crises that have affected East Asia in recent years.
Turkey is the political organizing principle of the greater Middle East.
It controls the headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers that supply Syria and Iraq, and it is the economic lifeline for new democracies in the Caucasus. Indeed, the Turkish military has been a fundamental element in the Middle East balance of power. For instance, a new Turkish-Israeli military alliance helped pressure Syria into peace negotiations with Israel in the late 1990's. A strong, stable Turkish government would be even more needed if Saddam Hussein were to fall. Without Mr. Hussein, Iraq would have few ways to damp down divisive tribal and sectarian conflict, and the country could fall into civil strife.