The Syria crisis has started damaging us
The longer the Syria crisis continues, the bigger the harm it causes in the region.
Ankara has used whatever pressure it could. It has changed gears and it has come to the forefront on the issue, but it has not been able to topple Bashar al-Assad. Given the present state of affairs, it is obvious that it would be difficult to topple him. Up until now, the burden of the Syrian crisis has been manageable, but this load has been increasing and becoming more and more serious in recent weeks.
Before going into the details, I have these important points for you:
The number of Syrian refugees has exceeded 100,000. One year ago, the figure 100,000 was seen as the limit of this matter. After 100,000, it was said that a buffer zone would come into effect. Today, this buffer zone looks as if it cannot be formed. The money spent has reached 400 million Turkish Liras and it will constantly increase. No aid is coming from the European Union or the United Nations. The reason for this is that Turkey does not accept the aid distribution or monitoring conditions of these institutions. It tells them: “Give us the money and do not interfere any more. We will do the distribution.” However, they have different practices. If there is no agreement, Turkey’s costs will later reach billions of dollars.
In the international media, there is the mistaken impression that Turkey is about to enter a war with Syria. That impression is spreading. Its an impression that stems from our stance, from the harsh statements we frequently issue, from the downing of planes to the shelling bombardments. No matter how wrong this perception is, it has started affecting international financial institutions and investors. Almost every day, questions are asked: “What is happening? Are you really going to war?”
Signs of doubt and concern are slowly appearing in investors. If it goes on like this then the risks will increase even more. Even though hints are not seen today, alarm bells will also start ringing in tourism if this war climate continues.
Ankara’s rush is understandable, but if this tempo is maintained and if there is no fine tuning to today’s pro-conflict stance, then it seems that the cost of the Syrian crisis will become too high for us.
We are all experts
We are an incredible society. We have a dogma on almost every topic. I have never seen this in any other country: generally, people elsewhere believe real experts, not just any voice they hear. They listen to those who know the matter in detail and then decide for themselves.
It is just the opposite here.
When I listen to certain journalists, retired military personnel and academics on T.V. channels, it makes my blood boil.
On the PKK (the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party) terror, just switch on your television and listen to the expert advice: “Find special men, send them to the mountains. They can survive in the mountains even by eating frogs. They are not seen in the daytime, they move at night. They are snipers. They will shoot the PKK in the eye. This is how the PKK issue will be solved.”
As if there was no General Staff, or no Interior Ministry, which have been working on this problem for years; they know nothing, it is only our retired commander and journalist friends who know it all…
