Hugh Eakin: Syria - Which Way to Kurdistan?

The pervasive presence of urban refugees, meanwhile, has led to growing ambivalence among the native population toward their Syrian counterparts. Many people I met in Erbil told me they have a special bond with their fellow Kurds, to the point of seeing them almost as fellow nationals. When I referred to the “Kurdish region of Syria,” I was frequently told, “What region of Syria? You mean, West Kurdistan.” In Erbil, however, a prominent Iraqi Kurdish journalist told me that many also believe that the refugees are mostly economic migrants rather than victims of war, and are bringing social problems to Northern Iraq. “It’s a big embarrassment for us. It’s terrible to have Kurdish children begging in the streets. But if they get good jobs, they will never go back,” he said.

Mein Blog befasst sich in einem umfassenden Sinn mit dem Verhältnis von Wissen, Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft. Ein besonderes Augenmerk richte ich dabei auf die Aktivitäten des Medien- und Dienstleistungskonzern Bertelsmann und der Bertelsmann Stiftung.