By Mohammad Ali Dastmali Turkey is located between two so-called Western and Eastern worlds and at a golden and sensitive g...
By Mohammad Ali Dastmali
Turkey is located between two so-called Western and Eastern worlds and
at a golden and sensitive geographical location. Among the most important
weaknesses of Turkey one can point out lack of energy resources and the
country’s constant need to buy oil and its products. The world’s most expensive
gasoline is sold in Turkey at 5 liras per liter. However, this issue is not the
biggest weakness of Turkey. The country is currently building three nuclear
power plants and has made hefty investment in the field of wind and solar
energy. Ankara is also buying and transferring oil from the Iraqi Kurdistan
Region while using Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) to make up for
this major shortcoming. In the field of defense, Turkey’s membership in the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), strategic cooperation with the
United States, and close relations with the European Union (EU) have, to a
large extent, stabilized the position of this country, while Turkey’s tourism
revenue is gradually hitting USD 28 billion a year.
So, despite these major advantages, what are the most important threats
against Turkey and what obstacles and impediments can slow down Turkey’s march
toward economic and political growth and development? In response, it must be
noted that in view of the objective conditions, the country is currently facing
three threatening problems, which include: 1. Daesh, 2. PKK,
and 3. Serious Political and Social Divides.
Turkey has about 900 kilometers of common border with Syria and a
330-kilometer border with Iraq. At present, Turkey is faced with two similar
and common threats along its borders with Syria and Iraq. Firstly,
along Turkey’s border with the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, forces belonging to the
military wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) are present in mountainous
regions along this border. Secondly, along Turkey’s long border
with Syria, Kurds are living in three unattached Kurdish regions, that is,
Jazira, Kobani, and Afrin cantons, and in all three regions, following the
start of the Syrian crisis and weakening of the control of the central
government in Damascus, PKK has been at the helm of political and military power
according to an unwritten agreement. At the same time and along both aforesaid
borders, in addition to the threat posed to Turkey by the PKK, Daesh is present
in a number of important and strategic regions and can easily send it forces
into Turkey.
Daesh has occupied two big cities, namely Ramadi and Mosul, in Iraq and
since these two cities are inhabited by Sunni Muslims and leaders of Sunni
Iraqi groups are often friendly with Turkey, this development has barred
Turkey’s influence on Sunni-dwelling regions of Iraq. In Syria, Daesh has
created a strong fortress in the city of Raqa, which allows it to threaten
Sanliurfa, Gaziantep, Hatay, Calis and a number of other border provinces of
Turkey. During the past three months, three big bomb attacks have taken place
in two Kurdish cities of Diyarbakır and Suruc as well as the capital, Ankara,
claiming the lives of a total of 132 Turkish citizens. The twin bomb attacks in
Ankara, which claimed the lives of 97 Kurdish and leftist supporters of the
“Peoples' Democratic Party” (HDP) have been described as the biggest terrorist
attack in history of Turkey. Daesh militants have also announced that in their
opinion, the Turkish city of Istanbul is the same old Constantinople and they
will finally conquer it. During terrorist attacks that Daesh has so far
conducted inside Turkey, it has so far targeted Kurds, but it has proven in the
meantime that it can also hit Turks and tourism centers in order to bring
Turkey’s economy to its knees. Turkey is now a member of the US-led anti-Daesh
coalition and has allowed the United States and European countries to use a
number of its air bases. Therefore, it is not clear if Turkey took a serious
step in the fight against Daesh, what kind of reactions would this terrorist
group show.
Starting from late 2012, the longest round of peace talks began between
the government of Turkey and PKK, but following Turkish parliamentary elections
on June 7, the two sides moved toward conflict once again. According to figures
released by Turkish official sources, more than 1,400 members of PKK have been
killed in Turkey’s bombardments in the past three months, while about 100
members of police and military forces and 40 civilians have also lost their
lives in PKK attacks. Of course, the Turkish government has greatly weakened
PKK by using its unmanned aerial vehicles and Göktürk reconnaissance satellite
system, but PKK has still the capacity and ability to threaten security of
Turkey whenever it wants.
Although the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), as a satellite
institution to PKK, won 80 out of 550 parliamentary seats in recent elections,
the leaders of PKK in Qandil Mountains will apparently stop at nothing less
than gaining self-rule right. As a result, they are not ready to leave the fate
of Kurds to legal representatives of people and prefer to keep the initiative
in their own hands. On the other hand, the ruling Justice and Development Party
has strong relations with the Iraqi Kurds, especially with president of the
Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani.
Another serious threat to Turkey is the existence of a serious
political and social divide between Islamist and secular groups, in parallel to
which, sometimes divisions occur due to differences between Turks and Kurds,
and existence of such divisions in the Turkish society can face this country
with big problems.
About The Author:
Mohmmad Ali Dastmali is an expert on Turkish affairs and associated with IranReview.org
Key Words: Turkey, Threats, Daesh, PKK, Political and Social Divides, Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), NATO, EU, US, Masoud Barzani, Anti-Daesh Coalition, Dastmali
Key Words: Turkey, Threats, Daesh, PKK, Political and Social Divides, Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), NATO, EU, US, Masoud Barzani, Anti-Daesh Coalition, Dastmali
AIDN: 001-10-2015-0340
This article has been originally published at IranReview.org on October 19, 2015. All rights are reserved by the Original Publisher.
Image Attribute: President Erdogan's pro-Islamic policies threaten dissenting voices. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
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Recommended for Further Reading : By Mohammad Ali
Dastmali at IranReview.Org :
*US Approach to
Role of Kurds in Syria, Iraq: http://www.iranreview.org/content/Documents/US-Approach-to-Role-of-Kurds-in-Syria-Iraq.htm
*The Most Important
Errors in Practicing Democracy in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region:http://www.iranreview.org/content/Documents/The-Most-Important-Errors-in-Practicing-Democracy-in-the-Iraqi-Kurdistan-Region.htm
*Why PKK and Turkey
Are Fighting?: http://www.iranreview.org/content/Documents/Why-PKK-and-Turkey-Are-Fighting-.htm
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