Clearing the Way for Civil Society in South-eastern Anatolia: The Importance of Trust and Discourse

This article discusses one of the problems that must be resolved urgently in order to enable the development of civil society in the South-eastern Anatolian Region. This is a region that will likely become the future eastern border area of the European Union (EU) and is currently Turkey's most troubled region due to its political, economic and social conditions. Despite the fact that a suitable legal-institutional environment was established during the EU membership process especially after 2001, one of the most significant obstacles that prevents civil society in the Region from showing the effort to benefit from this environment is the fact that due to from long-standing conflicts and oppressive policies, it has not been possible to establish an environment of trust between the state and civil society. First and foremost among the most crucial tools that must be reviewed and considered to establish such an environment of trust is the discourse employed by the politico-bureaucratic elite.