Turkey's Silent Crisis

As he sat down to have coffee on a sweltering August day in Istanbul, the first words my interlocutor, a well-known Kurdish intellectual named Orhan Miroglu, uttered were about the death of his three cousins in his ancestral village in Batman, a province in the heart of the Kurdish region of Turkey. The previous night, his cousins and a fourth villager had gone to investigate a suspicious fire on the outskirts of their village. As they approached, a mine destroyed their vehicle, killing them all. All of them had been members of Kurdish political parties or human rights groups. They were the latest casualties in a war between the Turkish state and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an insurgent group that enjoys a great deal of support among Kurds.

Turkey is in the grip of a summer of senseless violence. A little over a week before the attacks in Batman, on July 25, a clash erupted in the western town of Inegol when an ordinary quarrel between a Turk and a Kurd quickly spread after assuming a racial undertone. Just a few days later, four police officers were murdered in the southern province of Hatay. This was a mirror image of the Batman event; it appears as if rogue elements in the security forces had set up an ambush to blame the other side. This killing, however, was followed by intense interethnic clashes as local Turks took to the streets to exact revenge on their Kurdish neighbors.

These are some of the events that made headlines; there were other cases that were averted by local authorities working with the Kurdish political party. And the atmosphere is thick with stories of daily humiliations, minor taunts, and discrimination in housing and employment.

Turkey is slowly and inexorably moving toward a crisis point. Unlike in the 1990s, when the PKK was far stronger militarily and the insurgency was primarily concentrated in the majority Kurdish southeastern provinces, today Kurds are everywhere. That period's counterinsurgency campaign caused a massive outflow of refugees that dispersed throughout the country. Istanbul, home to an estimated 3 million to 5 million Kurds, is now the world's largest Kurdish city. This fact means that the Kurdish issue reverberates far beyond the traditional Kurdish strongholds in Turkey's southeast and eastern regions, increasing the chance that violence could erupt anywhere, at any time.

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ZAID HAMID

11:50 PM ET

August 31, 2010

Not my problem

The NATO references are red herrings. NATO is useless as can be seen in Afghanistan and as was seen some years back in Bosnia. NATO died at the end of the cold war and any meetings are no better than high school reunions.

We in the US have enough hassles of our own. Let Turkey figure out how to handle something that's internal to itself...

NICOLAS19

3:50 AM ET

September 1, 2010

timely

After the flotilla raid of May, Turkey ceased to be a US ally. Now it seems OK to start bashing them. Just as expected.

NORBOOSE

9:34 AM ET

Dont Deflect

This article is not particularly critical. FP writes about problems in Japan and India, are those "bashing?" What in this article is "bashing?" The criticism seems pretty qualified.

NENAMLDU

7:17 AM ET

nenamldu

Wait, I think I have a new idea which will palliate the Turkish-Kurdish crisis. Why not organize another mercy ship to take Turkish militants and idealists, fellow do-gooders, etc. to some other hotspot in the world to show that Turkey cares about the underdogs there, to say nothing of its own reputation as their defender. This will surely divert attention from the ethnic crises at home, won't it? Yes, I do know that the place where they've already done that, Gaza, has a significantly higher living standard and life expectancy than Turkey does. And sure, I know that the Turkish budget is strapped even with that billion-plus dollars in Iranian cash that was seized on the border last year and has since disappeared. So maybe they will once again have to cut corners and send foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, and medical supplies with long-gone expiration dates, but at least it's the thought that counts, right?

BIRGüL

8:12 AM ET

The Turks did not leave US

The Turks did not leave US alone in Afghanistan, Korea and Vietnam etc., but the U.S. has used PKK and Kurds against to the Turks. America does not act as an ally to the Turks. And All The Turks are aware of this now.

9:31 AM ET

Nonsense

The Soviets were the PKK's original backers. The whole reason they supported the PKK was because the US supported Turkey. Since the Soviet collapse, the PKK has mainly functioned without outside assistance. Its possible they are getting some support from Israel, but the US has nothing to do with this.

12:00 PM ET

How do you know US has

How do you know US has nothing to do with this. Yes, it is true in the 1990's Soviet has used PKK, but we know "which countries" are using PKK now.

EDIT

12:43 PM ET

Complete nonsense

How can one prove a negative? Rather, what is the evidence that the U.S. backs the PKK? The fact that they put the PKK on a terrorist list? That they lobby against them in every diplomatic circle here and abroad? The fact that the U.S. has supplied Turkey with most of its weapons to combat the PKK (and the civilian Kurdish population)? Or is your "proof" that the U.S. is not willing to send its own men to fight a battle against the PKK (which does not consider the U.S. an enemy) in the mountains of Kurdistan when the Turkish military has failed miserably? The latter is not proof of U.S. complicity but rather of Turkish state stupidity for expecting otherwise.

1:53 PM ET

you edith, you think you know

you edith, you think you know all about turkey we don't have to prove anything you narrow minded people you aren't able to see the reality about happinings in turkey first US dont have to help turkey about pkk problem but trough the history turkey have always been with the US. in every invade us did today even in afganistan in the past in korea, gulf war , cold war. you think you us clever people but the whole world know that what your policy is, by invading the weak countries with nonsense reasons only to exploit them and also you dont know even a little about kurdish and turkish people's relations but afew terrorist that were supported by european countries. so edit if you are really interested in what the turkish and kurdish relations come turkey and see it.

2:32 PM ET

Birgul, what do you know?

What do you think you would do if instead of Turkey you lived in a country called "Kurdistan" and even though your mother spoke Turkish you were forced to speak Kurdish in schools, in public life, and every day at school you were forced to say "Happy is he who calls himself a Kurd!" And, any one who tried to speak up for the Turks were killed or imprisoned? What if YOU lived in this Kurdish State which saw the Kurds of Iraq as brethren and did everything it could to make sure they received their share of rights in Iraq but which lobbied the world to ensure that the Turcomens of Iraq never gained substantial rights. Would you come here and say "Turks and Kurds are brothers, there is no racism in Kurdistan?"

I doubt it. Most Turkish ex-pats living in America, thousands of miles away from their homeland, try so hard to teach the Turkish culture and their language to their children. Why? If we are all human, why not accept assimilation and be Americans? It's because part of what makes us human is our culture and language. To make it illegal is barbaric and racist. That's what the Turkish state is.

4:16 PM ET

as ? see from your point of

as ? see from your point of view that you're lack of turkish history first of all turkish nation have never been racist or barbaric in the history from the ottoman empire on even today this is not right, and today kurds live as free as turks in this country every kurd live and speak his own language and culture. If you want to see I invite you to Turkey. So You can see turkish and kurdish living .

DAVID BOYAJIAN

10:31 AM ET

Hypocrisy unbounded

Many of the people who used to support Turkey uncritically and kneel in front of that country have become more critical of Turkey as tensions between Turkey and Israel have increased - for example, due to the Gaza flotilla incident.

Many of these critics used to defend Turkey by denying or minimizing the Armenian genocide. (Visit www.NoPlaceForDenial.com).

Now they are being more frank and critical of Turkey since they see that their denial of the Armenian genocide has reduced their credibility while only earning them the contempt of the Turks.

They (and groups such as the ADL, JINSA, AJC, and AIPAC) went out of their way to deny the Armenian holocaust and work, at Turkey's behest, to defeat Armenian genocide resolutions in Congress. Yet, in the final analysis they were slapped in the face by Turkey anyway.

So although these critics and groups have not completely broken with Turkey, they are saying to themselves, "I lost a lot of credibility on the Holocaust by denying or diminishing the genocide of the Armenians - I made myself look like a selfish little hypocrite on genocide and human rights and what did I get in return from the Turks? They simply spit in my face."

What do you think, Henri J. Barkey? What lessons do you draw from this?
Was it all worth it?

MARTY24

11:12 AM ET

Mavi Marmara as a tipping point

The "peace" flotilla's mode of operation exposed something raw about the attitude of Turkey's current government toward others in a way that ongoing denials of the Armenian genocide simply didn't.

I'm sure Mr. Boyajian knows that it was the Ottoman Empire that conducted the Armenian genocide, not the government of the Turkish Republic, and thus this issue, while very emotional for Armenians, is not directly connected to relations with the Turkish Republic. This may not seem like a real difference to him, but it does matter a great deal for purposes of relations between Turkey and other states. If the Turkish government had any sense, and didn't have pretensions of re-establishing the Ottoman Empire, they would denounce the genocide as the work of that Empire, extend a hand of freindship to Armenia and ask the Armenian people to forgive what the Empire did to them.

The Mavi Marmara incident was a tipping point in the growing concern about the Islamicization of the current Turkish government and Turkish politics. Other issues have raised concerns since the AKP came to power, but much as the frog doesn't jump from the pot if the temperature is raised slowly, if there is no clear point when something is recognzied as remiss, there will be no change in policy. The response of Jewish groups is toward the Turkish Republic, which was once open to relations with Israel, and is now working hard to re-assert the Ottoman approach to the region. That is something that is bad for Jews and Armenians alike, and Armenians would do well to follow the lead being set by Greece, which is currently pursuing closer ties with Israel.

12:31 PM ET

Armenians were richest

Armenians were richest citizens in Ottoman and they weren't doing soldiership.
But they could be primeminister and minister. In Ottoman empire many Armenian became ministers.
But in the World War I, while Ottoman was in the war (with Russian, English, Australian, French, new Zeland, Arab) ottoman citizen Armenians rebelt against Ottoman. Armenians killed many kurdish citizen together with Russian in the World War I , because of this ottoman empire sent Armenians to Syria. This is not genocide, only they were forced to migrate to Syria. All the historians know this realty.

12:47 PM ET

Edit

I am not sure of Henri J. Barkey's position on the Armenian genocide issue, however, his research on the Kurdish question as well as his conclusions are not new. His book "Turkey's Kurdish Question", which I read in 1998, was a very fair and in-depth analysis of the Kurdish issue wherein he urged the U.S. to support to support democratization efforts in Turkey. Too bad the U.S. did not heed his advice then because a less racist Turkey would have been a stronger ally to the U.S. today.

1:06 PM ET

But US is lossing confidence

But US is lossing confidence of Turks with these foreign politics. We was supporting to US everywhere. because of this sometimes Turkey detrimented as economically especially in the1991 Gulf War for US. But what did US to Turkey? US put sucks on our soldiers head. We saw as ally to US. But we aren't sure now.
and Turks have never been racist in their history.

MONTEROSSO

12:19 PM ET

The Latest In A Long History of Bigotry

Unfortunately, the Kurds are only the final race/culture that the Turks want to eliminate to finally claim the whole country for their own. They have managed to wipe out almost all traces of the original inhabitants and cultures (Greeks, Armenians, Christian Syrians) while the world, and especially the West, remained silent. No doubt the great powers will continue their policy of turning a blind eye to the Turk's genocidal tendencies as they have in the past. Shameful.

12:35 PM ET

there are a lot of kurdish

there are a lot of kurdish minister in Turkey now. six ministers are kurdish. and there were many primeminister in Tukey. How is this genocide , wipe out? There were a lot of Armenian ministers in Ottoman empire.

ABLITZ

12:50 PM ET

Maybe most Turkish

Maybe most Turkish historians agree with you Birgül, but most scholars and historians do not.
It would say within academic community all over the world the Armenian genocide is considered fact.

1:04 PM ET

Dead President

Obviously, the concept of assimilation is lost on many Turkish citizens of Turkish descent. Kurds do not want to be forcibly assimilated. End of story.

Perhaps, Recep Tayyip Erdogan should ask the Palestinians whether they would consider migrating to Turkey and speaking Turkish, teaching Turkish to their children, (and possibly English but not Arabic), practicing the Turkish culture, and at the same time being forbidden to organize themselves politically (except as part of the current Turkish political parties) or practicing their culture. We, the Kurds, would gladly accept the two-state solution offered to the Palestinians with a government that recognizes the Palestinian right to a state and even more basic still, that does not deny that Palestinians are a distinct people from the Jews. Splendid solution, I would say!

Plus, I find it remarkable that Turkish nationalists keep referring to the Turkish Prime Minister who went on to become the President who was an ethnic Kurd (and who never publicly even admitted he was Kurdish). It is now widely accepted that he was assassinated for attempting to solve the Kurdish question. I think that serves to make my point perfectly: Kurds are only accepted if they assimilate to the Turkish culture AND toe the party/official state line.

1:33 PM ET

Of course you must think so.

Of course you must think so. because you need to this subjects for exploit other country.
this is simple exploit play.

IYO

1:27 PM ET

that is false.

i would say,thats not correct so.its splittet into two groups of what exactly happened in 1. WW and with the armenians.
one group of historians and scholars are biased from there origin as "christians" and symphathys for their "brothers" - or be mostly financed from armenian communititys or organisations.these are the ones who say "its a "genocide"".they forget,that not a false thinking of morality is making history...FACTS making history.
the other group of scholars and historians,who say it is not a "genocide" (its a strange genocide,where more turks/kurds have died in this armed clash between the armenians and the ottomans.and that is a fact!) are the ones who knowing the facts and dont care about morality or ethics of things happened then.in fact,they see that the armenians are well organized and their goal was to ethnic cleansing the ottomans from their "homelands" like the serbs the bosnians in 90.they see "action and reactions" and the reaction was "gentle" with deport them to the outer rims of the empire - instead kill them all.they deported them,cause not all are hostile to the empire,more forced to help the rebellion.the armenians from the west are not deported,fact that is very important and a proof of not willing to "destroy a ethnic" but calm down a massacre in one part of the empire,a empire that needed all his forces for a war on four fronts and have no time for intern clashes.
most of the deads,the armenians suffered,are done from kurds (armenians and kurds hate eachother allways,at these times and many armed conflicts between the two groups are normally) as revenge for their suffering and many loss of lives as the armenians started their idiotically idea to cleans all the ottomans from the east/southeast empire.
i repeat it again.a deportation is nothing else as a deportation - and a genocide,like these of the jews in europe,is a genocide.
the facts make history - not a symphaty for are group of etnics - or religious group.

to the kurds...action causes allways reaction,ergo a violent action (like the PKK massacres in the 80s,where many civilians get killed) causes a much more,millitary reaction.these took over 30 years with many deaths on both sides.i would say the best choose is now to get splitted..a normal living between and together is getting more and more impossible,cause the turks dont want to live with them any longer.the turks never give any interest to things happened in the southeast and never saw the kurds as "foe's" or something similiar - but the clashes in the past 6-10 month have risen more atttention to this issue in a wider front of the turkish people.this attention is now called "new nationalism" from the writer..however.but this is more resignation from a chance to solution this problem,with more rights etc. - not "nationalism.as i said,were all tired from these all...and my private opinion is to split the two ethnics and separate them - like in bosnia and serbia,ex-jugoslavia.

as you all see..were much more farther in thinkings...as the israelis or any others.when the turks acted like the israelis in palestine or gaza,the kurdish problem where non existent at this time...think about it.

1:58 PM ET

I agree with you IYO. These

I agree with you IYO. These are perfect knowledge. thank you very much.

2:35 PM ET

Look at peer reviewed,

Look at peer reviewed, academic accounts and opinions. They prominently assert genocide did happen and at the very least crime against humanity.
You can say there's a liberal slant there, but look up the similar sources on Darfur and you'll find the academic community going against the assertion of "genocide" there.

IYO, I didn't understand the comparison between the Israelis and Turks because of the poor English (not trying to belittle you, just saying I don't understand) But there's a reason that Israel and Turkey (especially the military) got along so well for so long. They were both dealing with very similar situations. The PKK are guerrilla movement and terrorists, but the Turks have dealt with them very harshly and without much restraint. 40,000 dead (mostly Kurds) is well above the death toll in the territories... Ever.

3:27 PM ET

and IYO, We (Turks and

and IYO,
We (Turks and Kurds) will never separate. We would let foreign powers separate.
This plan will never be successful.

4:37 PM ET

ED?T could a man who still

ED?T
could a man who still keep his religion as muslim be a president in US. why must obama explaine that he is christ not muslim in the freest country of the world????

6:24 PM ET

hmm..and the

hmm..and the greeks,armenians,christian,syrian etc. dont wipe out the inhabitants of the areas in that they intruded from european plate?what about the crusades?very peaceful,not?where the hell are the babylonians?or the amorites (pre jewish israel)?where are the native indians in america?the human race allways in their time wandered,build civilisations - and DESTROYED civilisations..but i think in history the wildest and blodthirsty off them all..are these ones who never talk of their own massgraves...
a very strange sight of the things and history all the people have...
i think all the indo-german races in asia should return to their origins..europe ;)
and all is peaceful and all is bright,not? *smile*

6:59 PM ET

i've only tried to answer to

i've only tried to answer to a post,earlier.thats why i compared it with the israeli case.
dont talked (and written) english for a while.excuse it.

8:44 AM ET

September 2, 2010

So now you're just excusing

So now you're just excusing the genocide because it used to happen all the time"and is how civilizations have acted since the beginning of time. You say the most bloodthirsty are those who hide their mass graves, but what do you think you're doing by denying Armenian Genocide?
You've really shot yourself in the foot by rationalizing a modern genocide by comparing it to events that happened thousands of years ago. We don't live in ancient times, people are not wiped off the map at the whim of a conquerer without facing repercussions.

1:30 PM ET

Mavi Marmara as a tipping point-not all true

The statement that the Armenian genocide was largely committed by the Empire is not completely true. The Republic was equally responsible for murdering or running out it's non-Turkish population. In doing so, it wrecked the one opportunity it had to build itself into a modern and economically viable nation. It is well known that the Greeks, Armenians, and Jews were the economic heartbeat of the Empire. The Turks simply lived off of what the native peoples produced. By destroying those peoples, the Turks also destroyed the ingenuity and ethos that could have made a multicultural Republic flourish. Rather than learning from their past and attempting to move forward, they are only repeating the same genocidal tendencies that has marked their long history as a people in Asia Minor and Europe. EU beware.

ROVAKA

4:17 PM ET

Turkey's Silent Crisis

Since the Turks were eager to implement the Annan Plan on Cyprus, perhaps a similar solution would be appropirate for Turkey.

http://www.rieas.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=970:what-if-the-annan-plan-and-turkey&catid=17&Itemid=74

4:40 PM ET

you imply this solution for

you imply this solution for your country

6:11 PM ET

you forget to tell us that

you forget to tell us that the cypriot greeks DOES not implement the annan plan :)
what means,they are not ready and not willing to have peace..
i thnik people who doesnt want peace should do only one - seek out for a solution or just be quiet.

MICHAELTURTON

8:35 AM ET

Excellent and informative piece

I enjoy learning about the world from articles like this; it's one reason I come to this site. It would have been even better had a map of Kurdish regions + kurdish regions on the border in other countries been provided.

I'd like to know more about some of the underlying non-ethnic factors. Are Kurds seeing resources transferred out of "their" areas? Is development less of a priority or more of a priority? etc.

Michael

12:05 PM ET

Eugene 55 I agree with you.

Eugene 55 I agree with you. You're right. This is explaining everything.

3:08 PM ET

Eugene 55

Rather, the minute Jewish shield and protection over the Turkish state image diminished, the dark underbelly of the Turkish state began to rear its ugly head. It was there the whole time, the crisis has been brewing since the inception of the Turkish state; perhaps now the world is able to see it for what it is.

ALL FOR THE GOOD

8:04 PM ET

regarding to the intention of this news

the power of words. some people use the words powerfully without notice some with notice..

in this article, defining the south east part of Turkey as Kurdish region is intentional... there are more other ethnicities than the total number of Kurdish ethnics in the region.

why do you use the words like this? why don't you respect the other nations views? I see your strategic plan opposing with the unity of Turkey.

Well, every civilization is destined to fade out. one that when your civilizations has the same risk, I will see your side how behave .

8:28 PM ET

September 4, 2010

Freedom

We Kurds like all others people want to be free. What is wrong? I know some people will not be happy with result, but far or near we will succed.
Biji azadi( long live freedom)

DANIELLA

6:45 AM ET

September 14, 2010

Turkey seems to me to be too?

Turkey seems to me to be too? big a country to be able to handle its problems politically and economically.
It needs to consider breaking its govt structure into free separate federations which have autonomy and can focus on the regional problems in a more constructive way.

YARINSIZ

3:42 AM ET

September 27, 2010

They have managed to wipe out

They have managed to wipe out almost all traces of the original inhabitants and cultures (Greeks, Armenians, Christian Syrians) while the world, and especially the West, remained silent. seslichat No doubt the great powers will continue their policy of turning a blind eye to the Turk's genocidal tendencies as they have in the past. Shameful.

JACKPOL

11:45 AM ET

September 28, 2010

turks..

''to the kurds...action causes allways reaction,ergo a violent action (like the PKK massacres in the 80s,where many civilians get killed) causes a much more,millitary reaction.these took over 30 years with many deaths on both sides.i would say the best choose is now to get splitted..a normal living between and together is getting more and more impossible,cause the turks dont want to live with them any longer.the turks never give any interest to things happened in the southeast and never saw the kurds as "foe's" or something similiar - but the clashes in the past 6-10 month have risen more atttention to this issue in a wider front of the turkish am people.this attention is now called "new nationalism" from the writer..however.but this is more resignation from a chance to solution this problem,with more rights etc. - not "nationalism.as i said,were all tired from these all...and my private opinion is to split the two ethnics and separate them - like in bosnia and serbia,ex-jugoslavia.''
nice.. :(

LAURINE BACAK

4:19 PM ET

September 29, 2010

Tensions between the government and the countrys Kurdish minority are threatening to explode like never before. And the collateral damage may include the Obama administrations foreign policy. The "peace" flotilla's mode of operation exposed something raw about the attitude of Turkey's current government toward others in a way that ongoing denials of the Armenian genocide simply didn't. I'm sure Mr. Boyajian knows that it was the Ottoman Empire that conducted the Armenian genocide, not the government of the Turkish Republic, and thus this issue, while very emotional for Armenians, is not directly connected to relations with the Turkish Republic. "Turkey is in the grip of a summer of senseless violence. A little over a week before the attacks in Batman, on July 25, a clash erupted in the western town of Inegol when an ordinary quarrel between a Turk and a Kurd quickly spread after assuming a racial undertone pull your ex back. Just a few days later, four police officers were murdered in the southern province of Hatay. This was a mirror image of the Batman event; it appears as if rogue elements in the security forces had set up an ambush to blame the other side. This killing, however, was followed by intense interethnic clashes as local Turks took to the streets to exact revenge on their Kurdish neighbors. " They have managed to wipe out almost all traces of the original inhabitants and cultures (Greeks, Armenians, Christian Syrians) while the world, and especially the West, remained silent. No doubt the great powers will continue their policy of turning a blind eye to the Turk's genocidal tendencies as they have in the past. Shameful.

Foreign Policy Magazine

Inside National Security

Tensions between the government and the country’s Kurdish minority are threatening to explode like never before. And the collateral damage may include the Obama administration’s foreign policy.

BY HENRI J. BARKEY | AUGUST 31, 2010

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