The earthquakes that devastated large parts of Turkey and a smaller portion of Syria last month killed at least 50,000 people. In four Turkish provinces, hundreds of residential buildings collapsed in seconds, trapping their occupants as the government response failed to materialize. This was not entirely a natural disaster: For decades, Turkish governments offered builders “amnesties” allowing them to pay a fee to ignore safety codes, including the stronger building codes enacted after a devastating earthquake in 1999.
In this episode of History As It Happens, historian Howard Eissenstat, an expert on Turkey at the Middle East Institute, said the Turkish government has used the construction sector as a motor for economic growth but turned a blind eye to mismanagement and corruption.
“In addition, the Turkish government has during election years in particular offered amnesties to buildings that were constructed against code. That’s popular among people who own buildings but can’t afford to do the earthquake proofing that’s necessary,” said Mr. Eissenstat, who said land owners still marketed their properties as “earthquake proof” to renters. “The costs are devastating when an earthquake comes.”
Elections are scheduled for May. There is no indication that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s regime intends to postpone them because of the extensive devastation in the earthquake zone. But Mr. Eissenstat isn’t convinced Mr. Erdogan and his ruling AKP party are destined to lose.
“If people are voting their pocketbooks and their experiences, then Erdogan should be in trouble. That said, I’m not sure people will vote their pocketbooks. In our current age, political affiliations tend to be very sticky,” Mr. Eissenstat said.
SEE ALSO: History As It Happens: Biden, Turkey and the Armenian genocide
Listen to Mr. Eissenstat discuss the dynamics of Turkish politics and the aftermath of the February earthquakes, by downloading this episode of History As It Happens.
