Further Reading: The Kurdish Issue in Turkey

Filed under: Kurds, Turks — Benjamin on November 5, 2007 @ 9:40 am CET

Traveling through the southeastern regions of Turkey can be a bittersweet experience. Not only is the region’s geography breathtaking at times, but so is the hospitality and incredible warmth of its people. Unfortunately, the living standard of most of the region’s ethnic-Kurdish population is tragically low. While the historic economic situation of this part of Turkey has never been as robust as in the country’s littoral areas, the Turkish military’s reaction to the Kurdish uprising during the early 1990s was responsible for considerable regression.

Turks are understandably frustrated when they discuss the conditions of their country’s southeastern region. They point to the preponderance of Kurdish families with seven, eight or more children and question why they should have such large families if they do not possess the financial means for their support.

It is very possible that there exists a degree of irresponsibility or irrationality in the family planning logic of Kurds living in southeastern Turkey. However, during the travels of this observer through places like Diyarbakır, Van and Urfa, it was apparent that there also exists a statistical rationale for having so many children. More offspring, and boys in particular, increase the likelihood that one of those children will be able to financially support the family one day. For an economy in which there are very few 9am-5pm jobs offering pensions, the family unit becomes much more important. This contrasts with urban centers, where people can literally afford to be self-focused. The reality presented is of course not exclusive to Turkey. In fact, it is relevant to many other parts of the world, including in my own country.

The Turkish economist, Mustafa Sönmez, has recently added a great deal of refreshing perspective to these issues as they relate to Turkey. His report entitled, “Increased Poverty in the East and Southeast and Solutions: Peace”, is reviewed in the following Today’s Zaman article. The conclusions of Mr. Sönmez are not particularly earth-shattering. Nonetheless, they highlight the fact that activity and discussion in Turkey of economic development in the southeast has been relatively superficial to date.

Turks will frequently reference the Güneydoğu Anadolu Projesi (GAP), or Southeastern Anatolian Project, as proof of the country’s genuine conviction to develop the region. Ideally, this grandiose public-works project will do just that by harnessing the regions (rapidly depleting) water resources through a series of hydroelectric dams and irrigation systems. However, the execution of the GAP project has been slow and it appears that its funding has not been consistently supported by the country’s politicians. In addition, this observer wonders whether the Turkish government enjoys playing God with the water supplies of its southern neighbors more than helping its Kurdish citizens.

It is often noted that PKK activity in the region has slowed the project’s rate of completion. While the PKK might often be a legitimate scapegoat in Turkey, it does not in fact appear to be a very legitimate excuse for those citizens, who fear the tide of terrorism. As NATO peacekeepers in Afghanistan or US soldiers in Iraq can tell you, individuals of any ideology are less likely to start shooting if they have reliable electricity and running water.

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1 Pat

November 6, 2007 @ 2:31 am CET

Question, do the folks that live in this area of Turkey have complaints about being “poor” and if so do they blame it on some form of repression?

I ask because poverty by one measurement does not always hold true by another.

There are quite a few groups throughout the world who don’t aspire to the same lifestyle as those of us in the West enjoy (or endure depending on your reference frame.)

These folks may be far happier where they are and under the conditions in which they live than they would be if they lived in the most modern of circumstances with all the glitzy things that modern life (in the fast lane) can offer.

The kind of “social security” net you point out in the article is repeated many times all over the world, and no one in those communities complains about it.

I’m hoping they live this way by choice, not by force. Basically, can a young person with a different “take” on the way things ought to be, leave and try their hand elsewhere?

Just a thought

2 cozen

November 6, 2007 @ 9:24 am CET

you thought wrong

3 blastingcloud

November 6, 2007 @ 9:48 am CET

Hi Pat,

I think you make a great point about how certain people are very content to live in conditions that we in the West would consider very unsatisfactory. The West is guilty of considerable cultural imperialism in this regard.

In the case of the Kurds, I think the most revealing point is how so many of them have moved away from the southeast in favor of the cities in western Turkey. These people have voted with their feet, so to speak. Istanbul, for example, has several million Kurdish citizens, who are here in search of better economic opportunities. In many cases, there living conditions continue to be pretty terrible.

Since the economy in the southeast is so underdeveloped, I don’t get the sense that people are really aware of “social security” as we think of it in the West Instead, the families become the social security net, pooling resources together to help each other. Often, family members working in the western cities will send money back no different than Latin Americans working in America. You’re right in that they don’t necessarily need pensions or a Western social security net. I referenced pensions to make the point that there aren’t a lot of well-paying jobs that people take for granted even in Istanbul.

There has also been an emergence of middle and upper middle class of Kurds, who have geographically relocated and benefited a great deal from the prevailing political conditions. These people have either made their way through the university system or started their own businesses. Due to their success, it would seem that they are generally less supportive of Kurdish independence claims, PKK activity etc.