Members here who complain about "anti-Turkish" criticism should perhaps ask themselves why increasing numbers of their fellow countrymen are feeling the same way.

Taken from Turkish Daily News, October 2007:-

Close to 59 percent of highly skilled Turkish people educated abroad prefer to stay and live abroad after the completion of their education, according to a study Belge quoted. Comparing India and Turkey, Belge said that Turkey's high brain drain rate cannot be explained by economic circumstances. I agree with him – these people educated in America, the UK, and Germany can get the top posts in Turkey easily. So what might be the reason for them to choose to live in foreign countries instead of returning to their own country?...

''But now 59 percent of the educated people go abroad. I can't exactly think that this preference is primarily a result of the economy. In Turkey there is no suffocating poverty like in India, and there never has been. But there truly are other things that count as ‘suffocating,' especially for the well-educated and enlightened population. Is a long debate on what is suffocating necessary in a society where a street thug is able to yell at a Nobel prize-winning author, ‘Smarten up!,' and the whole establishment and developed legal order act in support of the one yelling?

This wise explanation comes from a prominent Turkish intellectual who is receiving a lot of threats himself every day. There is a suffocating atmosphere in Turkey. Apparently this atmosphere encourages talented young Turks to live abroad. Extreme nationalism costs Turkey a lot and some of these costs are obvious. But apparently there are some other invisible costs that are equally devastating.

http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=88178

http://www.depers.nl/buitenland/181186/Europa-kan-t-echt-wel-vergeten.html

What about this one? (my own translation)

Turkey is dong well. High educated youth have lots of opportunities. So why would they look for trouble and come to Europe?

He had only just graduated for a week, when he already found a job. And also in his research field: environmentology. Kaan Alspaslan (24) says he's been lucky, but there is more going on. Kaan studied at a good university, lives in Istanbul and knows his languages, his German and English are fine. Young people like him have no reason to worry about the future.
Kaan: 'I quite often have to laugh when I hear that lots of Europeans believe that every Turk wants to go to Europe. What should I do in Europe?'

The Turkish economy has been growing with 5 to 6 percent in the past few years. The number of foreign investers is growing. In Istanbul and, a bit less, in Ankara there are lots of jobs to be found.
There are no exact number, because the marks are taken for all universities together and the level (and therefore the chance of work) on the universities differs a lot. Those who study at a good university, usually get a good job offer befóre they graduate.

Yasemin Sari (23) is a tudent who travels through Istanbul with a laptop under her arms, going to university, friends or work. She studies philosophy. Not really a study which will get you a job easily is it?
'Sure, no problem', she says. If you graduate from her university, the Bosphorus University, you're very much wanted, whether you're a philosopher or a technician.

(...) 'Going abroad is always temporary. I'm sure I will always return to Turkey.'

Turkey, and especially Istanbul, is alíve, Yasemin says. The country is developing and she loves to be able to be part of that. 'In Europe everything is arranged, especially in Germany', she said, 'Very nice, the bus will be on time, but I missed the dynamics of Istanbul.'
When asked whether she'd also like to work in Turkey so that she can help with the developments, she gets a little annoyed: 'Why would I need an extra reason for wanting to stay in Turkey? it has nothing to do with idealism. Europe just doesn't have anything to offer which I can't find in my own country.'

Refik Erzan, teacher of economics at the Bosphorus University, says that until 2030 a max of 1-6% of the Turks want to emigrate to Europe. 'That is, when they can migrate without any hassle', he adds. And this chance isn't very high. 'the conditions to go to Europe aren't very good nowadays. Young Turks with good education know that. They'd like to go to Europe to study or work for a short period of time, but to live in Europe they don't really want. They have access to all modern media and know that Europe has a lot of social problems and that it isn't easy for migrants. The European economy is also not rising as much as the Turkish one, and they can't get access to the European arbeidsmarkt since they're not from the EU. The EU is quite closed.'