A Violent Summer in the East

I had no idea that 50 Turkish soldiers had died at the hands of the PKK in just two months this summer.

Perhaps it's just my self-absorbed focus as an academic and American. I had a man on the bus yesterday ask where Lebanon is; the US has been so very shielded from world events.

Turks cannot afford that luxury. Have a listen to the NPR story (with audio) about the ongoing conflict and attempts at a cease-fire. I noted a few facts about the conflict worth recalling. First, the Turkish Air Force is bombing PKK bases in Northern Iraq. Second, PKK supporters are gradually moving into the shanty-towns around Istanbul, where they encounter a group of "disaffected Turkish youth under the sway of ultra-nationalists." This is a recipe for renewed conflict, because the Prime Minister employs nationalist rhetoric to rally the nation.

One wonders where it might end. I hope that the Ramadan cease-fire continues beyond the end of the holy month.

In terms of our course, I'm interested in the uneasy mix of peoples in the slums of Turkish cities as more people move into the towns and build gecekondu.