Turkey's Kurdish Conflict: Separatism, Syria, and U.S. Relations

Introduction: Turkey's Kurdish Crisis

Although Turkey has gained greater prominence in international news due to the influx of refugees across its borders, it is also struggling with another serious problem: the ethnic tensions surrounding Kurdish separatists besieging critical areas of the country. Like many Middle Eastern nations, despite its relative proximity to Europe, Turkey is home to a wide variety of ethnic groups with various religious affiliations, including the Kurds. The southeast of Turkey is home to a majority Kurdish population, which has sown the seeds of a longstanding civil conflict.

Kurdish separatists have long engaged in violent resistance against the Turkish government, demanding their own independent state. Although the violence has persisted for many decades, recent skirmishes have been characterized as "the worst seen in the past two decades" (Tharoor, 2016). This escalation is due in no small part to the recently emboldened Kurdish separatist groups operating within Syria itself. Turkey must tread a delicate balance between honoring the rights of the Kurdish minority and curtailing separatist violence. It must also work to ensure that ethnic rivalries between Kurds and Turks do not become further inflamed and result in discrimination against innocent minorities. Many of these goals put Turkey in conflict with Western powers, including the United States, which is primarily concerned with limiting the influence of the Islamic State within Syria and abroad and is less focused on the growing Kurdish militancy that could further destabilize Turkey.

Kurdish Separatist Violence and the PKK

As reported in the Washington Post: "In the heart of the ancient city of Diyarbakir, behind its historic black-stone walls, security forces have been engaged for weeks in clashes with the youth wing of an outlawed Kurdish separatist group. Whole neighborhoods have been sealed off under curfew; tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee" (Tharoor, 2016). The Turkish government alleges that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has been responsible for the deaths of more than 200 members of law enforcement and an equal number of civilians. At the same time, as many as 500 members of the PKK have been killed by Turkish security forces in this ongoing civil conflict (Tharoor, 2016).

The YPG, Syria, and U.S.-Turkey Tensions

Turkey alleges that the outbreak of renewed violence is partly attributable to U.S. support for Kurdish groups within Syria that are linked to the PKK. In addition to fighting ethnic Kurds within its own borders, Turkey is also battling Kurdish forces in Syria in the form of the Popular Protection Units (YPG). The YPG, however, has been highly effective in countering other Islamist groups involved in the Syrian civil war, and the United Nations, the United States, and the European Union have all called on Turkey to cease its attacks on the YPG given the group's utility in opposing the Islamic State (ISIS). "Ankara says it is retaliating against what it calls provocations by the YPG... it has long warned against the group making territorial advances in northern Syria near its border" (BBC, 2016).

Turkey's Western allies regard the PKK within Turkey's borders as a terrorist organization because of its conduct, but they do not apply the same designation to the YPG, viewing it instead as a legitimate civil resistance force against ISIS. Turkey, however, insists that the YPG and the PKK, though technically distinct entities, share similar goals and pose equivalent threats to its national security. "Turkey is worried that as the Kurds, supported by American air cover, expand westward in their war against the Islamic State, they could establish a corridor along the Turkish border stretching from Iraq to the Mediterranean" (Tol, 2016). Such a corridor could develop into a base of support for Kurdish militants inside Turkey.

Conclusion: Balancing Security and Human Rights

Within Iraq, the presence of the PKK in the northern portion of the country threatens Turkey's security. As a NATO ally, the U.S. needs to support Turkey in its desire to deny the PKK a safe haven in northern Iraq (Basburg, 2016). In exchange for regional support in protecting itself from Kurdish separatist groups operating abroad, Turkey must be willing to protect the rights of non-militant Kurdish inhabitants within its own borders who have no ties to terrorist organizations.

A peaceful resolution within Syria is essential for Turkish stability. Turkey must make a credible case for the links between the PKK and domestic militant groups within its nation, while simultaneously demonstrating genuine concern for the human rights of the Kurdish people living in Turkey who bear no implication in the violence. Striking this balance — between national security and minority rights — is the central challenge Turkey faces in the years ahead.

References

Basburg, I. (2016). What has strained U.S.-Turkey relations and what needs to be done? The Daily Caller.

Tharoor, I. (2016). As Syria burns, Turkey's Kurdish problem is getting worse. The Washington Post.

Tol, G. (2016). Is Turkey a U.S. ally against ISIS? The New York Times.

Turkey v Syria's Kurds v Islamic State. (2016). BBC.