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THREAD During the fieldwork for this essay, I was struck again and again by the contradictions built into the relationship between Syrians and their temporary home in Turkey. Here are just a few https://synaps.network/post/syrian-refugees-turkey
Almost everyone I spoke with expects to remain in Turkey for the foreseeable future, yet few can imagine settling there: Many hope to head home to Syria, or onward to Europe; some would happily stay, but fear Turkey might expel them
Even among those most anxious to escape, many are quick to stress Turkey’s positive attributes, notably its initial open-door policy and modern infrastructure. One friend even proclaimed, almost blasphemously, that Turks make better shawarma than Syrians do
In part, this ambivalence reflects the duality in Turkish policy. Ankara welcomed Syrians by the millions, but refused to grant them refugee status. It doled out citizenship to Syrian elites, while pressuring and sometimes deporting the underclass
Indeed, Turkish institutions serve vastly different functions for different groups of Syrians. To businessmen, the state provides rule of law and predictability. For the poor, the state often seems more like an agent of oppression than protection
A friend in Istanbul put it well: “The most frightening thing here is that there’s actually a strong government. In Lebanon, the state lacks capacity to implement [anti-Syrian] policies. Here, they could literally deport hundreds of thousands if they so choose.”
Indeed, the schizophrenic quality of Turkish policy makes it brutally tough to discern what comes next. The ruling AKP has reversed its earlier stance, seeking to exert control and prove its toughness to Turkish voters fed up with the Syrian presence
But Turkey’s policy also ensures that Syrians continue to put down roots. It integrates Syrian children into schools, and absorbs well-off Syrians through naturalization. Having shuttered temporary camps, it forces their residents to resettle in Turkish cities
And yet, in other ways, Ankara is making sure that Syrians don’t get too comfortable: The vast majority cannot work legally, move freely, or own property. Given the ambiguity built into their “temporary protected status,” most Syrians cannot plan ahead
The result is the greatest contradiction of all: Even as Syrians grow ever more deeply embedded within Turkey, both sides are keen to find a way out of the relationship. Neither, however, is getting any closer to bringing things to a close
