Save Hasankeyf: Statement from the demonstration today at the Andritz offices, Derbyshire, UK

We received this statement from a group of solidarity activists raising their voices about the massive displacement and ecological destruction taking place in the regions around Hasankeyf in southern Turkey, where a huge internationally funded dam building project has been ongoing for several years. The group protested against Andritz Hydro, a company based in Belper, Derbyshire, which is playing a leading role in the construction of the Ilisu dam, which, if constructed, would leave the 12,000 year old town of Hasankeyf under water. 

Find out more about actions agains the Ilisu Dam here

Today people came together to protest against Andritz Hydro, a company that plays a leading role in the construction of the Ilisu dam in North Kurdistan (the area of Kurdistan which lies within eastern Turkey).

We hung a banner from a bridge which forms part of the building where Andritz has its offices in Belper, Derbyshire in the UK. We hung a banner, which read: “Andritz Hydro = Ilisu Dam. 78,000 people displaced in Kurdistan.” Continue reading “Save Hasankeyf: Statement from the demonstration today at the Andritz offices, Derbyshire, UK”

Ilisu Dam’s construction may be continued after a 4 month halt

We received the press release below from theInitiative to keep Hasankeyf Alive, which brings news that the Turkish State Hydraulic Works (DSI), which is in charge of the construction of the highly criticised Ilisu Dam, has announced they will continue working on the site immediately:

Press Release

05.12.2014

Ilisu Dam’s construction may be continued after a 4 month halt! 

Stop Ilisu – stop destruction and instability!

The Turkish State Hydraulic Works (DSI) has announced few days ago that after a four month break that the construction of the highly criticized Ilisu Dam and Hydroelectric Powerplant Project will continue immediately. If the construction starts again, the Ilisu Dam on the Tigris River may be finished next year which would lead to a huge social, cultural and ecological destruction and also a higher political instability. Continue reading “Ilisu Dam’s construction may be continued after a 4 month halt”

New research paper: Security, development, and the Greater Anatolia Project

Here we republish a paper by Arda Bilgen for Research Turkey on the relationship between security and development in the context of Turkey’s Greater Anatolia Project, one of the largest river basin development projects in the world and the largest single development project carried out by Turkey. It includes plans to build 22 dams and 19 hydroelectric power plants, all on lands with 90% Kurdish population.

 

THE GREATER ANATOLIA PROJECT (GAP)

A Static Nexus or a Dynamic Network? Rethinking the Security-Development Relationship within the Context of Southeastern Anatolia Project

Abstract

The concepts of security and development have been central to the theory and practice of international affairs. Even though there is little sense of common agreement within both arenas, there is a seeming consensus among international organizations, key think-tanks, and university-based research that security and development are interconnected. Arguably, the political and bureaucratic elite of Turkey has also long assumed that fusing security and development was desirable and would produce positive outcomes. The Southeastern Anatolia Project (Guneydogu Anadolu Projesi, or GAP in its Turkish acronym), the large-scale, multi-sectoral regional development project initiated in early 1980s in Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, sets a good example as to how the elite has conceived development–GAP in particular–as a complementary means to deal with Turkey’s Kurdish question and to maintain peace and security. This study examines this “nexus” between security and development and discusses the common and contrasting functions of these concepts with specific focus on how they were conceived within GAP framework. The study emphasizes that although it has become fashionable to talk about such a “nexus”, the relationship between security and development is far from being simple, static, and one-dimensional, and linking these concepts do not always lead to positive results. Therefore, the study puts forward an alternative approach and emphasizes that conceiving security-development relationship as a dynamic network of interconnections is a more flexible, inclusive, and fruitful approach.

Continue reading “New research paper: Security, development, and the Greater Anatolia Project”

Heritage before Hydropower: Petition to UNESCO on Ilisu Dam launched

A petition to UNESCO has been initiated by an international coalition of environmental and human rights organisations, to fight to protect World Heritage sites in Turkey which are threatened by the construction of the Ilisu Dam. You can view GegenStrömung – CounterCurrent’s  press release below. Continue reading “Heritage before Hydropower: Petition to UNESCO on Ilisu Dam launched”