HURRIYET- Columnist Ferai Tinc comments on the social and economic costs of a US operation against Iraq. A summary of her column is as follows:
In contrast to 1991’s first Gulf War, Turkey’s decision this time around will be quite difficult. Why are we hesitating now? Because, as a nation, we’ve had to pay the price of the war with a host of economic and social problems over the 11 years since it ended. Moreover, the public doesn’t favor war and is still trying to heal the wounds of years of conflict. In 1990, then President Turgut Ozal gave the US a list of what Turkey needed in return for its contributions to the Gulf War. Accordingly, Turkey’s debt was to be reduced, its military modernization supported and quotas on its textile imports lifted. Ozal’s requests were met, but how? Through urgent aid amounting to $82 billion, additional aid amounting to $282 million in 1991, a $150 million boost in military aid and textile imports, and $200 more million delivered in 1992. A Turkish Defense Fund of $4.2 million was put together (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates also participated). Egypt purchased F-16 planes, but no Arab countries wanted to purchase anything from Turkey. At any rate, a part of this fund was returned to the US in exchange for F-16 financing in the years following. The damage that Turkey suffered in the decade since ’91 amounted to $100 billion. This is a figure far exceeding the aid it received. After the war, Turkey tried to set into motion a UN provision compensating its losses due to economic sanctions, but it failed to get US support for this.
The war hit our economy so hard that we were never really able to recover. Here are a few cold, hard figures: In 1990, Turkey’s growth rate was 9.5%, but just one year later it had plummeted to 0.5%. At the same time, our budget deficit was 210% and domestic inflation rose by 15%. But Ozal’s expectations weren’t met. Turkey wasn’t given a role in reshaping the region. For example, Turkey wasn’t invited to the ending phase of the Gulf War, that is, the Madrid summit that was held on the Middle East peace process. And contrary to our expectations, the US didn’t overthrow Saddam Hussein, so Turkey had to continue its relations with Saddam’s administration, which remained its neighbor.
However, the basic price was paid in terms of the political results of the Gulf War. Our losses of $100 billion were reflected throughout society in poverty, hopelessness, the blood of Turkish and Kurdish young people, and corruption. The democratization process was stalled and we were helpless to solve the Kurdish problem. Terrorism negatively affected Turkey’s relations with its neighbors, problems with Greece worsened, the Cyprus issue remained unsolved and our path to the European Union became full of roadblocks. If these were the costs of $100 billon, what will be the costs of $150 billion? This is the answer that we’re looking for now.

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION