The earthquakes and the blame

Politicians and developers have a mutually beneficial relationship in most countries, but Turkey is special.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government favours the industry with amnesties, low-interest rates, and the like because construction produces a quick hit of economic activity that helps him through the next election or other crisis, writes Gwynne Dyer.Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Opinion

BY GWYNNE DYER

February 13, 2023

LONDON, U.K.—If you are trying to dodge the blame for a great disaster, the best policy is to say that it was God's will. So said Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, visiting one of the 6,000 buildings that collapsed on their sleeping residents in eastern Turkey: "Su...

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