Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 as the successor to the global power, the Ottoman Empire.
Even though it was battered and broken, it managed to rise again.
Despite losing its territories in Africa, the Arab world, and the Balkans, and being confined to Asia Minor, it has come a long way in a century.
It saved its people from diseases, educated them, developed its lands, improved its agriculture, and established its industry.
It also strengthened its military.
It emerged from the Second World War with minimal damage, and subsequently, by remaining intact throughout the Cold War era, it successfully waged the struggle to become a nation.
There were countries that could not remain intact.
More than 20 states were established on the lands lost during the Lausanne process.
During this process, the Kurds could also have established an independent state.
However, they did not choose that path. In fact, they strove for a fully independent Turkey during the Lausanne process.
They were part of the delegation.
I will not go into the reasons, but it has become clear over the past century that they were right.
Compared to their relatives in neighboring geographies, they lived in a more civilized country as first-class citizens.
They became a part of the Turkish nation.
Following all of this, the scourge of terrorism that began exhausted Turkey greatly, but a civil war did not occur.
Those currently over the age of 30 woke up to news of police station raids. Yet, a civil war did not occur.
The line between terrorism and the citizens was drawn clearly.
No one looked at anyone else with suspicion. Marriages continued. In the fields of bureaucracy and commerce, unity based on citizenship persisted.
The news of martyrs that arrived for years could not prevent this.
Terrorism was always kept at the forefront as the culprit.
Focus was placed on the symbolic figurehead.
Minds never transferred the hostility toward this symbolic figurehead onto the citizens.
A process that was tried before and ended in disaster is being warmed up again, and a solution is being sought. But, I do not know if one should say amen to a prayer that will not be answered, or if one can become clean by washing in dirty water.
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