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| Photo by Maxime Larivé |
By Rachel Johannigmeier
On March 29, 2016, the EUC hosted the latest event in their
Lecture Series. Jean Monnet Chair and Professor of Economics Canan Balkir presented her
lecture entitled “Syrian Refugees in Turkey.”
After a brief introduction of the speaker and the topic by
Maxime Larivé, Assistant Director of the EUC,
Professor Balkir began her presentation by explaining the situation and the
economic perspective she used to view and analyze the plights of Syrians,
Turkey, and the European Union. Another element of her presentation was the visual
presentation. Balkir implemented
pictures and graphs to strengthen her points. For example, her pictures of the
refugee camps in Syria presented a realistic depiction of the
Syrian refugees’ situation.
Balkir first discussed the events since 2011 that built up to the
current refugee crisis. She described the
changing relationship between Syria and Turkey, the impact of the Arab Spring,
and the effect of ISIS.
She then addressed the economic impact of Turkey hosting the Syrian
refugees. While hosting only 25 percent of Syrian refugees, about 2.5 million
dollars is spent every day by the Turkish government to aid this
population. Balkir also addressed the
many challenges such as education, health, shelter, employment, social issues,
and politics. With regards to education,
Balkir presented questions about the languages and educational systems for the
refugees. Many of the refugees plan to
stay in Europe, but their educational beliefs do not always agree with the
Turkish government.
Not only did Balkir discuss the Turkish government’s relationship with
the Syrians, but she also discussed the opinions of Turkey’s citizens about the
Syrians. Showing statistics from the Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy
Studies (EDAM), Balkir stated that about 30 percent of Turkish citizens felt
that they were forced humanitarians and that refugees should be sent back to
the country in its current state. Balkir was shocked that there was an increase
in people saying yes to this question.
Balkir finally addressed the EU’s role and response to the
situation. Challenges include the slow
rate of policy implementation and the current problem of terrorism. Based on the topics she discussed, it is
clear that to understand how to move forward, there has to be an understanding of
the current situation and the events leading up to it.
The audience remained intrigued by the presentation and discussion
about Turkey and Syrian refugees. These
topics will be discussed again later this semester on April 28, 2016 during the Turkish Studies Symposium at the Illini Union.
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