Abstract:

Initiated in the 1970s, the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) initially aimed primarily at the construction of 22 dams and 19 hydroelectric power plants on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and of extensive irrigation networks to produce hydroelectric energy and irrigate 1.8 million hectares of land in Southeastern Turkey. Later, the scope of GAP broadened significantly as it became a more comprehensive scheme of modernization. Thanks to its massive size and transformative power, the project has had a crucial impact on shaping the dynamics of Turkey’s domestic and international affairs. Despite this, GAP could not be completed in 2005 as scheduled. According to the latest figures, only 74% of the energy projects and 30.4% of the irrigation projects have been completed. In the literature, however, the failure of not completing GAP on time as well as the issues that caused the project to stall have not received adequate attention. This study seeks to fill this gap and explore the factors that stall the project’s progress. Based on parliamentary proceedings from 1975 to 2014, the archival resources of the GAP Regional Development Administration, and 64 semi-structured interviews conducted with relevant actors, the study highlights ten major factors and examines each to provide a fresh perspective on the past, present, and future of the project.

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