Global crisis, local responses

Nowadays, in the media, one easily comes across pessimistic views on the so-called “Anatolian Tigers,” rapidly industrialized and economically improved medium-sized Anatolian cities. For instance, in a comprehensive analysis titled “Anatolian Tigers lose their roar,” it was argued that their “Tiger” status is being “downgraded to the status of ‘Anatolian Cats’ by industrialists and businessmen operating in these cities who are feeling the ever-tightening grip of the global financial crisis” (Today’s Zaman, Feb. 15). Nevertheless, we also need to recognize that, contrary to the overshadowing pessimistic outlooks, Turkey’s globalizing Anatolian cities, with their export potential, could be the strategic players in aiding Turkey in weathering the crisis environment! There are significant sparkles that we need to investigate closely.

As cities mobilize their resources in order to formulate new strategies to alleviate the negative impact of the crisis, they are also becoming key sites through their strategies to translate the detrimental effects of the crisis into an opportunity. In this regard, some Anatolian cities constitute vibrant examples of how this could be achieved and sustained. A recent event organized by the Gaziantep Young Businessmen’s Association (GAGİAD) is an illuminating example in this context. Thus, a recent example of how city-based strategies could be formulated to cope with the impact of the global crisis comes from Gaziantep, which has also been perceived as one of the Anatolian Tigers and also proudly portrayed as the “Paris of the East”!

Rather than being a site for complaints and hopelessness and insistently asking for support from the state, the economic agents of Gaziantep, especially the Chamber of Industry, Chamber of Commerce and GAGİAD chose to look for their own ways to come out of the crisis and even devise strategies to benefit from the current pessimistic outlook in the global economy. This collective effort is not sustained through the hegemony of a single actor; instead, civil economic actors have jointly become the architects of this local response. A meeting organized in Gaziantep on Jan. 26, titled “Global Crisis: Threats and Opportunities in the Export Sector,” could be seen as an exemplar of implementing a city-based strategy to confront the global crisis.

The participation of Mehmet Büyükekşi (who is also originally from Gaziantep), the chairman of the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM), made this meeting even more critical. The common message from the speeches given by the chairman of the Chamber of Trade, Mehmet Arslan, and the chairman of the Chamber of Industry, Nejat Koçer, emphasized the willingness and enthusiasm of the entrepreneurs in Gaziantep to export more to alternative markets, such as the Middle Eastern and African markets, since they have been less influenced by the crisis due to their less integrated position in world markets.

While the sense of insecurity and fragility in the international markets prevails, especially when companies are in need of loans in order to realize their export potential, the leaders of the Chamber of Trade and the Chamber of Industry both pointed out that there is a need for a “reassurance-enabling state.” They argued that state institutions such as Eximbank, Ziraat Bank and Halk Bank could provide emergency credits and help turn the crisis into an opportunity in these tumultuous times. Moreover, the speakers also outlined a strategy for Gaziantep that could also appeal to the other cities of Anatolia: (1) to protect optimism, (2) to protect already established export markets and (3) to hold on to the vision of the city. In Gaziantep, this strategy is centered on a critical concept, namely, “common reason.”

Common reason

The agents who are the drivers and critical members of Gaziantep’s economic development, as well as other state and non-state actors, opinion leaders and almost all Gaziantep residents emphasize the role of “common reason” as an instrument in fostering development. According to this mindset, common reason works as a glue connecting the interests of different actors, and when the issue is making a contribution to Gaziantep, “common reason” prevails. The agents who construct Gaziantep’s economic potential emphasize that common reason is not just a temporary mechanism, especially when the economy is growing and everybody is content. “Common reason,” however, is a symptom of urban identity, in other words, the city’s soul, and also a mechanism that encompasses the active participation, coordination, cooperation and collaboration of a variety of agents — economic, social and political — in order to overcome tumultuous times.

Having been inspired by the case of Gaziantep, why should other rising Anatolian centers, especially the ones who reached “Anatolian Tigers” status, not bring back and utilize their own “common reason” during current downtimes? If there is any possibility to transform and translate the global crisis into opportunity, then Anatolian cities need to be more open to embarking on a process to find or formulate their own “common reason.” As the global crisis unfolds with severe consequences, especially in the nonfinancial sector, by reinvigorating the export potential of Anatolian centers, Turkey’s key regional and global role could be reasserted.

[*] Evren Tok is a doctoral candidate at the school of public policy at Carleton University, Ottawa.