Syrian Refugees and Turkish Politics
“They are our kin and our neighbor, it is our duty to accept them.”
After years of war with an American supported Iraq led by Saddam Hussein and economic sanctions imposed by the US, my family decided to leave Iran in 1980s.
I still remember taking mt first airplane flight, it was to Istanbul, Turkey where the world opened up to me. Istanbul is the absolute center of the world, where the far east, middle east and Europe are brought together. I still remember the warmth and understanding of the Turkish people. The guys that used to bring the dancing bears to your home for a show. (Yes, actual dancing bears) The baklava and those grilled cheese sandwiches which I begged my dad to get me every time he took me downtown.
Now that I watch another 8 year war and see the massive refugees fleeing an even uglier war in Syria, I cant help but to think that, I was once that little kid you see on TV, my family more fortunate than these but in the same position.
It made me sad to see the attitudes of some of the Turkish people against the Syrian migration, and I understand the economic toll, such a flood of refugees can have on a country but as one lonely man sitting in the back of a Turkish tea house said, “Syrians were once our fellow citizens”.
Over the years Turkish politicians have scapegoated the Kurds over Turkeys internal problems, now the politicians are using the Syrian refugees as a means of playing on peoples nationalistic emotions for votes, and this is leading to a humanitarian crisis and increasing hate crimes.
In fact Turkeys economic problems are due to the conflict which it had with the US, which in a manner of days President Donald Trump imposed economic sanctions and tariffs on Turkeys economy which made it crumble at its knees. These are the same tactic used against Iran, Venezuela and other nations.
This is the way, US fights wars and Turkeys CHP party members must realize that their tr
ue enemy is foreign and not domestic and the real reason Turkey is being pulled into a war is because Turkish President Erdogan and the AKP party must show that they are taking a stand, because all masses of people need to see their leaders as strong.
Unfortunately these are the pitfalls of democractic systems, specially when the lead democractic system is a corrupt entity as the US is its example!