Some of these high-achieving people couldn't even leave the country even though there were a lot of positions waiting for them. Some people tried to go to Greece on boats which many of them died on the way.
Turkey is not a hellhole. Sure, it is a divided country, but it has a rich history and lots of beauty (I say that not being a Turk, nor being from Istanbul).
Let's remember that the current position as a developing nation is historically rather new. There is a strong sense of nostalgia and, until recently, there was some realistic hope that Turkey would claw its way back.
I'd personally argue there arent many comparable places where you can (or could) indeed live a good academic and intellectual life in a non-western, non-east-asian society.
I know people who were ousted from their jobs, and yes they can all move elsewhere. But that's not the personal tragedies lie.
If you grew up in a city full of thousands of years of history from East and West, it is entirely possible you will never be quite as happy living in sterile, uniform, blocky corporaty cities in the US or Canada.
Those academics who stayed in Turkey despite their credentials, probably have such a preference.
Obviously, those people thought it was enough of a hellhole that they risked their lives to take boats to Greece, and died!
>Those academics who stayed in Turkey despite their credentials, probably have such a preference.
I'm not talking about anyone who's staying there. I'm talking about people who are actively trying to escape and are risking their lives to get out. Obviously, they're perfectly willing to abandon those cities "full of thousands of years of history". Besides, western Europe is chock full of other cities with thousands of years of history that don't have the problems Turkey has, and that's where these people were headed to, not the US or Canada.