Current Events

I’ve had inquires from several of you about the recent events in Turkey. Rest assured we are safe, but this is an interesting time to be in Turkey.

Turkey has struggled with the PKK “issue,” since the early 80’s. PKK stands for Kurdistan Workers Party, but the PKK in real terms are agitators for an independent Kurdish state (“Kurdistan”) mainly in Southeastern Turkey, but also in parts of Iraq, Iran and Syria. They have a history of employing violent means to achieve their goals. Think of the IRA in Northern Ireland.

PKK fighters have been hiding out and getting supplies from bases in Northern Iraq for some time. Southeastern Turkey borders Northern Iraq. (OK, we have a history of living in countries with unsavory neighbors!) The PKK cross-border raids into Turkey have been occurring for many years, and fighting between the Turkish military and the PKK in SE Turkey has claimed around 30,000 lives (military and civilian) over the past 2 decades. This past Sunday PKK rebels ambushed a Turkish military convoy killing 12 soldiers and taking an additional 8 hostage. This really inflamed the general population. Turkey wants both Iraq (the northern portion of which is controlled by a semi-autonomous Kurdish government) and the US to deal with the PKK rebels, or else they are happy to send troops into Northern Iraq and root out the rebels themselves. The Istanbul English language paper today talked about missiles pointed from SE Turkey to Northern Iraq where the PKK is hiding. This is a very serious issue for the Turks. Check out
www.turkishdailynews.com.tr if you are interested in learning more.

So...in general, the Turkish population (with the exception of some Kurds in SE Turkey) is strongly against the PKK and extremely fed up with recent events, keep in mind that not all Turkish Kurds are supportive of the PKK. But the recent violence along the Iraqi border has stirred things up and people are in the streets protesting. Remember that Turkey has compulsory military service, so most people will have a family member or neighbor in the service. For example, our neighbors in the apartment building next door are flying several Turkish flags out of their windows this week. It’s likely they have a son or a brother in the army and they are showing their support.

The past three days we have witnessed peaceful protests along Istiklal Cadessi (the main drag in our neighborhood) and in Takism Square, which is the Turkish equivalent of Times Square. These protests consist mostly of men wearing red t-shirts (the Turkish color) waiving Turkish flags and shouting slogans. Probably “fuck the PKK,” or the equivalent. Turkish flags of all sizes are being sold and bandied about. A heavy police presence always accompanies these protests, to ward off any possible escalations.

This entire circus is interesting for us, because we are not used to such a scene – neither that of the Nationalist protestors or the presence of police equipped with riot gear. In contrast the throngs of Turks in the streets aren’t paying it any mind. They continue to shop, drink tea, eat ice cream and generally carry on with their lives. And that’s what we will continue to do. We have no plans to join either side. I am happy to continue to blog as I am doing now, with a very neutral Turkish kitty on my lap. Stan will continue to eat simits from the simit sellers. Live and let live, but let’s hope they can figure out a solution to this strife.

I’ll continue to hope the US can learn to live and let live as well. Ahisma. It is a beautiful Sanskrit word we study in yoga. It means “non-harming.” I think we could all stand to practice a little more of it.

So for us, we’re on an early flight to Athens in the AM! We’ll spend five days checking out the sights. More from Greece!