[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Turkey and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Turkey Page Editors or of Jadaliyya.]
English
The Coronavirus Outbreak
Turkey’s reaction to the COVID-19 outbreak is shrouded in mystery. Mehveş Evin argues that—despite the “timely measures” taken by the government—the “handling of the coronavirus outbreak has sparked serious concerns and debates over the health system’s quality and lack of transparency.”
Is Turkey ready for social distancing? According to Mustafa Sönmez, Turkey’s technological infrastructure will support it through the pandemic, but “the public lack awareness of social distancing.”
Turkey's fight against coronavirus. “The strict control of entries into the country, the early efforts to raise public awareness, the suspension of schools before the start of the spread, and the prevalence of hygiene habits suggested by Islam are promising for us to survive the outbreak without death rates as high as in Italy or the U.K,” writes Hilal Kaplan.
Turkey considers freeing some detainees as virus menaces prison populations. “Like other countries fearing an outbreak of COVID-19 in overcrowded prisons, Turkey is debating whether to free some of its 300,000 prisoners — but no political detainees,” Amberin Zaman reports.
Coronavirus: A Global Challenge
The world awaiting us after coronavirus. “Humanity needs to understand that, without a more integrated world order, we remain under threat. It’s for this reason that I have no hope at the moment. In the post-coronavirus days, we shouldn’t be surprised if we see countries retreat further into isolation as xenophobia increases,” argues Ali Abaday.
It’s time to come together for coronavirus diplomacy. “The problem at hand is far more complex than the assertion that globalization is dead and the time has come for the rebirth of nation-states. [...] The world cannot afford to let a propaganda war between the United States and China spin out of control. We will need international cooperation, solidarity, and coordination instead,” writes Burhanettin Duran.
Refugee crisis in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. “In our fight against the recent coronavirus outbreak, the unrestrained capitalist system and the egoistic policies of nationalism are harmful. We must learn lessons from our mistakes not only to overcome the coronavirus pandemic but also to resolve the refugee crisis,” writes İhsan Aktaş.
Being in contact in a contactless new world. “The world is at its best to allow the sane, the humane and the rational to take over. The question is, how are we supposed to reinvent solidarity in order to gather the political power to change it? How are we going to be in contact with each other and with the current reality to shape this contactless world for the better?” Ece Temelkuran asks.
The Stimulus Package and the Economy
Coronavirus to multiply cost of Turkey’s public-private partnership model. “With the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, that model is set to wipe out Turkey’s budget and bring the country’s economy to the point of collapse,” argues Zülfikar Doğan.
Get ready for the two phases of virus crisis. “The coronavirus pandemic marks the beginning of an extended period of recession. Communities around the world will have to learn to live with a crisis comparable only to the two world wars,” writes Burhanettin Duran.
The Migrant Crisis
Why Ankara’s Syrian refugee threat has lost its impact. Kadri Gürsel argues that the refugee crisis at the Turkish-Greek border has shown two things: that “The Syrians are unlikely to leave Turkey willingly unless the West promises them a better life,” and that by using the refugee card “Ankara, in fact, helped others to see that that card has expired.”
Reviving Turkey's EU accession process seems problematic. Yaşar Yakış comments on Erdoğan’s recent visit to Brussels. “It was timely, especially after Turkey decided to open its doors to the refugees. Some EU countries may also take action to cater for Turkey’s request, but a general thaw in Turkey-EU relations is not within sight.”
Turkey’s Kurdish Minority
Routine life goes on in Diyarbakır despite coronavirus. “While prisoners’ loved ones are fearful, the anxiety does not seem to have taken hold in other parts of Diyarbakır. As I stop by my children’s schools to pick up their books for their home schooling for the next two weeks, the streets are crowded with cars. [...] Stores and businesses are open. Restaurants serving breakfast are full. It seems the fear of the coronavirus has yet to reach the city,” writes Nurcan Baysal.
Newroz: Turkish névrose. “Newroz and the accompanying neurotic symptoms of the Turkish psyche may pass silently due to the coronavirus emergency. The importance of this day, however, will never diminish. It will continue to determine the future of the Kurdish and Turkish people in the country and region,” argues Zafer Yörük.
Five Kurdish mayors detained in Turkey. “Turkey detained five pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) mayors early Monday morning after dismissing them from their posts,” Yasmine Mosimann reports.
Turkish
The Coronavirus Outbreak
Erdoğan daha neyi bekliyor? İtalya’ya, İran’a dönmeyelim. “We clearly cannot be like South Korea or Japan, but at least let’s adopt strict measures before becoming like Iran or Italy,” writes Murat Yetkin, arguing that the government is not doing enough to contain the outbreak.
Koronayı atlatırız da bu cehalet ne olacak? “Confronted with ignorance, indifference, and recklessness, the best thing to do is perhaps to order a curfew,” writes Ahmet Akan, stressing how many are not following the government guidelines in the fight against the coronavirus.
Hükümet, dünyanın virüse karşı mücadele derslerini umursamıyor. İhsan Çaralan argues that “it is necessary to warn elderly people to comply” with the measures against the coronavirus, but that they should not turn into a scapegoat in case of a disaster.
Bunları ‘korona’ bile değiştiremez. Mahmut Övür writes that “not even the coronavirus will change the way some think,” arguing that the opposition is hardly concerned about the scope of the outbreak, and rather of using it for its own political goals.
Corona ve gazetecilik. “The purpose of a journalist is to protect the citizens by informing them”, writes Nevşin Mengü, arguing that doing so against the will of the state “is not treason, but journalism,” and that it is especially essential in days such as the ones we are living.
Coronavirus: A Global Challenge
Liberal umursamazlık. Hasan Basri Yalcin argues that the coronavirus outbreak has made it clear that Western countries are in a leadership crisis. “Europe has been asleep for a long time,” he writes. As per the United States, they are “unable to play their role of global superpower.”
Of COVID-19, Religion, and Society
Hepsine alkış. Fatih Altaylı warns the public against confusing religion and science in the response to the coronavirus pandemic. “Islamic rules are emphasized in the fight against the virus. If that is the case, why are hundreds of people dying every day in Iran?”
Umreciler size ne etti? The decision to quarantine thousands of pilgrims returning from Umrah, and the evidence that some are not following government instructions, caused widespread debate in Turkey. Hilal Kaplan contends that some would take “any opportunity to insult religious sensibility.”
The Stimulus Package and the Economy
Ekonomi paketinden ne umuldu, ne bulundu? “If anyone was expecting a broad fiscal stimulus, they were disappointed. No checks for the household. What we have is some tax breaks to those sectors most affected by the pandemic, some measures to help with employment such as postponed social security payments and partial work subsidies and 2 billion TL transfers to households in need,” comments Zümrüt İmamoğlu.
Recep Bey konuştu ama sustu! Emin Çölaşan criticizes the stimulus package prepared by the government to fight back against the consequences of the coronavirus on the economy, arguing that it does little to help small businesses and people in need.
Birlik ve beraberlik ile akıl ve bilim. Hande Fırat writes that what Turkey needs more at this moment is to unite, and rely on “wisdom and science,” to avoid harsher measures. The option of a curfew, she argues, might be hard to sustain economically on the long run.
Sırada ne var? Para basma zamanı mı? “Supporting the economy by printing money contains substantial risks going forward. Nevertheless, our priority at the moment is to keep the patient alive. We may need to undertake this surgery despite its high risks and primary aim of survival, then aim to avoid any permanent damage. The risks ahead are scary, yet being aware of such risks might be our only safe way out,” writes Selva Demiralp.