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Cabinet of the Republic of Turkey Topic I: Protection of Civilians in Northern Syria Topic Overview: Since the beginning of the Syrian uprising in 2011, hundreds of thousands have died before the guns of the Assad regime and dangerous extremist militants that thrive in the power vacuum created by this chaotic and violent conflict. This instability threatens the safety of the Turkish people, as the Islamic State has repeatedly targeted civilian targets in Istanbul and Ankara for cowardly suicide bombing attacks. Throughout the conflict, the Turkish state has assisted NATO and the International Coalition to provide air support and supplies to groups fighting for a democratic and free Syria, one free of oppression and torture. We have also worked tirelessly towards a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the war. Despite our efforts, fear still stalks the destroyed streets of Syria’s cities and families are being separated from each other, dislocated from their homes, and some destroyed by the chaos. As a consequence of the violence against civilians, millions of refugees from Syria and Iraq are overwhelming our ability to provide for them, and although we continue to work with the European Union and the United Nations to improve conditions for them, the only permanent solution to the flood of humanity crossing our borders is to bring stability back to Syria. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 1289 civilians, including 263 children under the age of eighteen, and 191 female citizens over the age of 18 were killed in Syria in August 2016. However, it is difficult to truly count the number of civilians who have 1 died and who are dying every day and every night, as many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) gave up in 2014 and 2015, as the chaos of the situation on the ground quickly 1 http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=50111

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Page 1: Cabinet of the Republic of Turkey Topic I: Protection of ... · Cabinet of the Republic of Turkey Topic I: Protection of Civilians in Northern Syria Topic ... international cooperation

Cabinet of the Republic of Turkey Topic I: Protection of Civilians in Northern Syria

Topic Overview:

Since the beginning of the Syrian uprising in 2011, hundreds of thousands have died

before the guns of the Assad regime and dangerous extremist militants that thrive in the power

vacuum created by this chaotic and violent conflict. This instability threatens the safety of the

Turkish people, as the Islamic State has repeatedly targeted civilian targets in Istanbul and

Ankara for cowardly suicide bombing attacks. Throughout the conflict, the Turkish state has

assisted NATO and the International Coalition to provide air support and supplies to groups

fighting for a democratic and free Syria, one free of oppression and torture. We have also worked

tirelessly towards a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the war. Despite our efforts, fear still

stalks the destroyed streets of Syria’s cities and families are being separated from each other,

dislocated from their homes, and some destroyed by the chaos. As a consequence of the violence

against civilians, millions of refugees from Syria and Iraq are overwhelming our ability to

provide for them, and although we continue to work with the European Union and the United

Nations to improve conditions for them, the only permanent solution to the flood of humanity

crossing our borders is to bring stability back to Syria.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 1289 civilians, including 263

children under the age of eighteen, and 191 female citizens over the age of 18 were killed in

Syria in August 2016. However, it is difficult to truly count the number of civilians who have 1

died and who are dying every day and every night, as many non­governmental organizations

(NGOs) gave up in 2014 and 2015, as the chaos of the situation on the ground quickly

1 http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=50111

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overwhelmed their ability to acquire accurate information. The 2015 estimate from the

Violations Documentation Center (VDC) states that 111,000 civilians have been killed in total

since the beginning of the Syrian civil war. 2

The Islamic State and the Assad regime appear to be responsible for thousands of

executions, mass killings, and chemical attacks on civilian targets. It is unacceptable to allow 3

this to continue. Although the Islamic state is a band of dangerous extremists and will be

exterminated in time, the Assad Regime’s ability to hide behind the veneer of respectable

statehood is morally repulsive to the Turkish people and to the world community as a whole.

These statistics are sobering, and should provide the proper context for the necessity of a

measured military intervention by the Turkish military into the border regions of Northern Syria

to achieve the goal of protecting Syrian civilians from the chaos of warfare and sectarian

violence.

This intervention has three

explicit goals: Assist the allies of the

Free Syrian Army (FSA) and other

moderate rebel groups to secure the

areas from the Islamic State, Jabhat

Fatah al­Sham (Formerly Jabhat

Al­Nusra), and other dangerous

extremist groups; Remove the

occupying Kurdish terrorist militias

2 http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/09/14/world/middleeast/syria­war­deaths.html?_r=0 3 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/25/assad­regime­isis­chemical­attacks­syria­un­investigators

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from the area; and provide a buffer area between Turkey’s civilian populations and the disorder

of the Syrian conflict.

Historical Context:

After the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya began in earnest in early 2011, Syrians

began to protest the repression and violence of the Assad regime. The military fired on a protest

in the city of Homs, killing four civilians. The protests grew from there as policemen and 4

members of Assad’s own military regime defected in large numbers to the rebels. Rebel groups

proliferated as the Assad regime’s harsh military crackdown began. Fighting continued through

2012 and 2013, as rebel groups took control of the Western Syrian frontier and made major

inroads in Homs and Aleppo, the end appeared to be coming for the government. The United

States called for Assad’s resignation and an end to the violence. The Syrian military first

deployed chemical weapons in an attack on Ghouta, Syria, a suburb of Damascus. This

indiscriminate attack killed hundreds of civilians. United Nations inspectors quickly surveyed the

area and determined the government had fired missiles containing the nerve­gas Sarin into

heavily populated civilian areas. The United States threatened to intervene against the Syrian 5

regime quickly after this attack.

After the attack on Ghouta and the United States’ threat of a “red line”, the United

Nations Security Council passed a resolution to condemn the use of chemical weapons in Syria

by any combatant. In response to the US threat, the Russian Federation, Assad’s strongest ally,

convinced the government to dismantle their existing chemical weapons supplies. Syria signed

onto the Chemical Weapons Convention, and by October 31, it had allowed UN inspectors to

4 http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la­fg­syria­timeline­20160314­story.html 5 http://www.refworld.org/docid/53182eed4.html

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inspect all reported chemical weapons caches and it was reported that the regime had

successfully disarmed. This was a farce however, as the Assad regime kept other chemical sites

secret from inspectors and has continued to attack civilian and military targets with chemical

weapons. By October 2013, 2 million Syrians were registered as refugees, many escaping to 6

Turkey, Jordan, and Europe.

As the civil war escalated, the Assad regime released jihadists from prison in an attempt

to undermine the power of the rebel movement. These jihadists swept through the Syrian 7

conflict, leading to the founding of the Jabhat Al­Nusra and giving momentum and manpower to

what would become the Islamic State. The group Al­Qaeda in Iraq then sent leaders to the Syrian

front to coalesce extremist Islamic groups under one banner, becoming the Islamic State after

breaking relations with Al Qaeda’s central control. This group took control of large swathes of

the Syrian countryside beginning in June of 2014, creating a pseudo­state with territory in Iraq

and taking important towns along the Turkish border. The Islamic state indiscriminately

murdered civilians,

massacred moderate

rebel groups, and

declared a self­styled

Islamic Caliphate. 8

In the summer of

2015, the United

6 http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive­weapons­inspectors­undeclared­sarin­vx­traces­syria­170616455.html 7 http://www.wsj.com/articles/the­rise­of­islamic­state­1454976369 8 https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2015/3/13/timeline­syria­4­years­of­devastation

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States and other coalition partners began airstrikes against Islamic State targets across Syria,

targeting oil facilities and supporting YPG assaults on Islamic State controlled areas.

One important battle to note was the liberation of Kobane, a small border town taken by

YPG forces in 2012 after the Syrian state lost control of the eastern frontier. In the summer of

2015, Islamic State militants laid siege to the city, forcing civilian Kurdish refugees over the

border into Turkey. Hundreds of civilians were killed during the first stages of the siege. 9 10

Border facilities in the region were wholly unequipped to deal with the rush of humanity as

130,000 refugees streamed across the border. The battle continued for months with great losses 11

and brutal fighting between the Islamic State and YPG forces. Finally, American air power was

brought to bear on Islamic State and the city was liberated in February of 2016. Although

liberated from Islamic state control, refugees face a difficult path back to normalcy, as their cities

are completely decimated by fighting. With no political solution in sight for the Syrian conflict,

there is no clear solution to move refugees back to Syria and allow them to rebuild their lives.

In October 2015, the Russian Federation entered the conflict directly, assisting the Assad

regime with cruise missile strikes, air support to the Assad regime, and rarely, direct military

engagement. Hezbollah and Iran, Assad’s strongest ally in the region, also escalated their

assistance to the Assad regime around this time, helping him to retake large parts of Syria against

then­fragmented rebel groups.

By November 2015, Russia, Syrian government forces, and International coalition air

forces were sharing the skies over the Syrian battlefield without any coordination between the

belligerents. A conflict was inevitable. In late November, after repeated violations of Turkish

9 http://carnegie­mec.org/diwan/59061 10 http://www.bbc.com/news/world­middle­east­33285699 11 http://www.bbc.com/news/world­middle­east­29314647

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airspace by Russian air forces and after 10 warning radio messages, a Russian fighter was shot

down by Turkish air forces. 12

Russian­Turkish relations soured in the aftermath. The Russians denied violating Turkish

airspace, despite our release of the radar images showing their planes in Turkish territory and

radio calls broadcast to their planes. In response to our assertiveness, Russia stalled our mutual 13

development of the TurkStream natural gas pipeline across the Black sea, installed

state­of­the­art air defense facilities in Syria to intimidate us. After seven months of tension, 14

President Erdogan decided in the interest of the Syrian people’s safety and in the spirit of

international cooperation to apologize for the downing of the Russian plane. It was not long after

the President’s apology that rogue elements in the military attempted to destroy democracy and

forever altered the path of the Turkish nation and Turkish democracy.

Current Situation:

Shortly after the apology, on July 15th, the forces of Fethullah Gülen, a former ally of the

President turned subversive terrorist, launched a coup against the democratically elected

government of Turkey. 270 people were killed in that night of fighting, civilians and 15

insurgents. Rogue elements of the military, media, and judicial system, loyal to Mr. Gülen and 16

not to the people of Turkey, failed in their bid for power, being toppled in a few hours by the

overwhelming might of democracy and the desire of the Turkish people. The insurgents were

bent on destroying the institutions of state and replacing them with military fiat. After the coup

was crushed, President Erdogan and his allies set out on a mission to rid the Turkish government

12 http://www.bbc.com/news/world­middle­east­34912581 13 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/analysis­russia­piling­pressure­turkey­160207065649214.html 14 See 10 15 http://www.bbc.com/news/world­europe­36809083 16 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/09/turkey­frees­prisoners­room­coup­detainees­160902112516346.html

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of the Güllenist virus. Thousands of traitors have been removed from their positions in

government and private business. A state of emergency is still in effect until Turkey is cleansed 17

of subversive and dangerous revolutionaries.

July 16th was a new day for the Turkish republic, as our allies and colleagues in Europe

and the United States were noticeably absent during the coup. The United Nations Security

Council could not issue even a nominal resolution in support of democracy due to Egyptian

opposition. The coup showed that the United States and Europe, although valued strategic 18

partners, were prepared to accept a military junta in Turkey rather than democracy. The United 19

States has refused to extradite the leader of the coup, Fethullah Gülen, and our so­called

European allies are more concerned with our elimination of rogue elements of society than the

violence and threat to democracy that created it. The Russian Federation and the Islamic 20

Republic of Iran were immediately supportive, however their support of Mr. Assad’s

authoritarian regime make them an unlikely long­term partner for the Turkish republic.

The human tragedy of this war in Syria is unfathomable: the UN calculates 11 million

Syrians have been

displaced in five years of

conflict. The Islamic 21

State has perpetrated

genocide against

Christians and Muslims

17 See 13 18 http://www.haaretz.com/middle­east­news/turkey/1.731367 19 http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2016/07/erdogan­stability­turkey­160721080458766.html 20 http://www.reuters.com/article/us­turkey­security­russia­idUSKCN10H05A 21 http://syrianrefugees.eu/

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across Syria and Iraq. Through coalition air­strikes by the United States, France, and the United

Kingdom, and through the military campaign led by the Russian Federation, the Islamic State’s

control of the Turkish border has been severely curtailed since its’ peak in 2014. In August 2016,

the Turkish military began its intervention in Syria with operation Euphrates Shield assisting

trained rebel groups in taking the

Islamic state town of Jarabulus. 22

There were two strategic goals in

Jarabulus: rooting out Islamic

State terrorists and taking control

of their last lifeline for foreign

fighters migrating from Europe

and the rest of the Middle East.

The second goal was to keep

Kurdish terrorist­ affiliated groups from taking the important border town and consolidating their

gains from the border regions west of Kobani and in the eastern pocket near Gaziantep. These

Kurdish People’s Brigade (YPG) forces are being assisted by coalition air­strikes, but they are

also allied with the Kurdish People’s Party (PKK), a terrorist group that has been active in killing

hundreds of Turkish civilians through bombings and attacks throughout Turkey and Iraq since

1984. These operations will free civilians from the yoke of Islamic State oppression and protect

the southern border from the threat of rocket attacks and other constant features of life since the

war in Syria began.

22 http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turks­resistance­against­coup­set­a­global­example­uns­feltman­says.aspx?PageID=238&NID=103561&NewsCatID=409

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Although the Turkish military is purely acting in a support role at this time, the situation

in Northern Syria is unstable, as Russian­supported regime troops are still besieging the major

city of Aleppo to the south, Islamic state troops still operate in the Euphrates valley to the east,

and Kurdish troops also operate in the area, and control the vast majority of the Syrian­Turkish

border. Although as of September 5th, 2016, The Turkish military and our allies have cut off the

Islamic State from their last outpost on the Syrian border, the battle is not over. These groups 23

are still vital and dangerous, and they pose a fatal threat to the long­term peace and stability of

the region and to the Turkish republic as a whole. As the Turkish cabinet, it is your prerogative

to decide the most effective ways to keep the Turkish military mission limited and tactical, and

not to be pulled into the Syrian conflict without a meaningful way to exit.

Bloc Positions:

United States: The US has been a staunch ally of the Turkish nation since the end of World War

II, and has been a valued NATO partner in the Syrian campaign. Despite the strain caused by

their inaction during the coup and their support of Kurdish YPG terrorist affiliates, they must be

consulted to coordinate military action in the theater to avoid further strain to our relationship.

Russia: The Russian Federation’s relationship to Turkey is complicated. Although a partner in

the TurkStream gas pipeline and a valued trade partner and source of tourist and technology

income, the Russian Federation has propped up Bashar Al­Assad’s rule for years and has been

complicit in their reign of terror on the Syrian people. We must walk a thin line with Russia

cooperate enough to accomplish our limited shared goals but there are limits to our friendship.

23 http://www.bbc.com/news/world­middle­east­37272895

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Iran: The relationship between Iran and the Republic of Turkey has become strained due to the

conflicts in Syria, Yemen, and the installation of NATO anti­ballistic missile systems in 2011.

Iran’s Shia government supports Bashar Al­Assad, who is a member of the Alawites Shia

minority group, as his power creates a Shia power bloc in the Levant, provides a bulwark against

Israeli and Sunni Arab influence. Assad’s grip on power is an absolute necessary for Iran to

exercise control over Lebanon and Hezbollah forces. Despite the power dynamics present since

the beginning of the war in Syria, Iran and Turkey maintain strong bilateral trade relations and

coordinate anti­terrorism action, as both nations are affected by the de­stabilizing forces of

Kurdish insurgency.

European Union: In the post July 15th world, the European Union has failed to provide the trust

necessary to be a truly strong partner of Turkey. The EU has dragged its’ feet repeatedly on

providing asylum and support for the millions of refugees who cannot return to their homes in

Syria and must be relocated. Good faith by Turkey has been greeted by distrust by both eastern

European nations also overwhelmed with refugees, legal and illegal, but also by the reticence of

the Western European powers to evenly distribute refugees and not leave Turkey and the Balkan

nations to take the brunt of feeding, clothing, and housing the overwhelming tide of humanity.

The dream of Turkish membership in the European Union dwindles as the relationship between

us is strained under the weight of these crises.

Key Terms:

Fethullah Gülen: Ex­associate of President Erdogan and leader of the July 15th Coup

August 15th Coup: The attempt by Gülenist forces in the military to remove President

Erdogan from power and topple the democratically elected government of Turkey.

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Islamic State (Daesh): Developed from the Sunni terrorist group Al­Qaeda in Iraq, the

Islamic State became a major player in the Syrian conflict by consolidating huge amounts

of territory and performing terrorist attacks on France, the United States, and Belgium. It

has declared itself an Islamic Caliphate and has undertaken numerous acts of wanton

violence against civilians, takes part in the slave trade, and has committed numerous acts

of genocide against non­Sunni Arab peoples.

Fatah al­Sham / Jabhat Al­Nusra: Formerly the official Al­Qaeda franchise in the

Syrian theater, Jabhat Al­Nusra became Fatah Al­Sham when it made a show of

disconnecting from the Al­Qaeda organization. Most analysts do not find this change

convincing, as they are still heavily connected to Al­Qaeda at every level of the

organization. This change is more likely a gambit to convince other moderate rebel

groups to work with them and to avoid continued air­strikes by the Russian Federation or

the United States.

Hezbollah: A political organization and terrorist paramilitary group supported and

trained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Headquartered in Lebanon, but with deep

ties to the Syrian state, Hezbollah has been active in fighting Anti­Assad rebels and the

Islamic State.

Bashar Al­Assad: President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Assad’s government has been

under criticism from the international community and his own neighboring states for his

brutal execution of the Syrian Civil War and allegations of atrocities, mass killings, and

use of chemical weapons. Supported by Iran and the Russian Federation, he is the central

question in how to resolve the Syrian conflict, as rebel groups will not tolerate his

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continued rule and Iran and Russia will not agree to a transitional political government

with his involvement.

Free Syrian Army: The Free Syrian Army was first founded from Syrian government

soldiers who defected in the aftermath of the atrocities they were asked to perform. These

rebels were pushed into Turkey in the first years of the war and have only recently

returned to the state after being trained and armed in Turkey.

Kurdish People's Defense Units (YPG): The YPG is the military arm of the Kurdish

minority enclaves in the East of Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. They are capable fighters,

but are also allied with the Kurdish People’s Party (PKK), a dangerous terrorist group

and separatist movement that seeks to split Turkey into two states, one Turkish and one

Kurdish. The PKK has killed thousands of Turkish civilians throughout a 32 year reign of

terror.

Resources:

http://blogs.cfr.org/zenko/2015/09/15/the­realities­of­using­force­to­protect­civilians­in­s

yria/

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/IICISyria/Pages/IndependentInternationalCom

mission.aspx

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/magazine/behind­the­barricades­of­turkeys­hidden­

war.html?_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/29/world/middleeast/syrian­rebels­isis­kurds­turkey.ht

ml

http://syriancivilwarmap.com/

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https://www.stratfor.com/weekly/geopolitics­syrian­civil­war

https://theconversation.com/vacuum­bombs­in­syria­the­latest­chapter­in­a­long­history­

of­atrocity­from­the­skies­63733

http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy­analysis/view/combating­genocide­reassessin

g­the­fight­against­the­islamic­state

http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/un­documents/syria/

http://www.bbc.com/news/world­middle­east­35695648

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/07/what­caused­the­turkish­coup­attempt­

214057

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/10/isis­immigration­operation­turkey­syria

­border­passenger­manifests­tel­abyad­islamic­state

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Cabinet of the Republic of Turkey Topic II: Kurdish Terrorism

Topic Overview

With an average estimate of 20 percent of the Turkish population as ethnic Kurds, the

Kurdish objective of self­determination remains a continual threat to the preservation of cultural

homogeneity in the

Republic of Turkey’s.

Over the past three

decades, Kurdish

militancy has been met

with lethal Turkish

reciprocity. As the largest

minority group in the

Middle East, the movement for Kurdish autonomy only gains momentum despite being met with

constant political and military opposition. It has been nearly a year since the ceasefire between

Turkey and Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) dissolved in figurative and literal flames, and the

violence is predictably escalating.

Between a fleeting ceasefire, President Recep Erdogan’s merciless political agenda, and

growing Kurdish autonomy abroad, an end to the Turkish­Kurdish conflict remains wishful. So

long as the insurgent Kurds endanger the foundations of Turkish democracy, domestic affairs

will remain tense and fragile. Yet it is the nation’s position as an international ally that

complicates matters further. As acts of terror in Syria escalate and the extent of Western

involvement becomes more pressing, Turkey’s unrelenting occupation with Kurdish terrorism

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convoluted its obligations to its NATO allies. Although the international community scrutinizes

Turkey’s lack of devoted action against the Islamic State (IS), efforts that divert resources away

from quelling Kurdish rebels are contrary to decades of Turkish policy and identity.

Although eliminating the Islamic State sits at the Western world’s primary goal, to the

government of Turkey, it is only secondary to cultural preservation. Rebel Kurds domestic and

abroad have forced military response that could otherwise be avoided. Although Turkey is under

international criticism for such operations, they are merely a defense against that which is

dismantling the country’s political order.

Historical Background

While nationalism has gained popularity on the global front in the last decade, Turkey’s

ideological history has long been defined by efforts to maintain social, ethical and political

purity. The Kurds, an ethnic group most closely related in culture and language to the people of

Iran, occupy a significant minority in Turkey, with estimates ranging between 15 and 25 percent

of the population. They are also considered the fourth largest ethnic group within the Middle

East. However, their historic political, social, and cultural nonexistence perpetuated by the 24

Turkish government has invigorated rebellious

efforts to achieve greater autonomy and rights to

self­determination within Turkey.

The statelessness of the Kurdish people and

animosity toward the Turkish government can be

24 https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural­survival­quarterly/turkey/kurdish­repression­turkey

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traced to the beginning of the 20th century. Following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the

Turkish state was established on the principles of a homogenous national identity, one that would

strengthen and preserve the new Western republic. With this ideology, little to no room was left

for the Kurdish people who were ostensibly integrated into Turkish society. Despite this attempt

at cultural assimilation, the growth of Kurdish ethno­nationalism in face of Turkey’s political

secularization continued to pose a serious threat to the government’s perception of its centralized

political power. 25

For the past thirty years, the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) has been the representative

militant organization engaging the Turkish government in a terrorist war for greater political

rights and autonomy. The armed rebellion has carried out numerous suicide bombings,

assassinations, and kidnappings against Turkish government authorities and tourists, in addition

to police and military combat. Despite a temporary ceasefire between the Turkish government

and the PKK between 1999 and 2004, violence increased following its dissolution, with

casualties moving closer to Istanbul and the capital Ankara. In light of this conflict, key Turkish

allies such as NATO, the European Union, and the United States have declared the PKK as a

terrorist organization. The United Nations, Russia, China, and India have not. 26

Ethno­nationalism is a founding feature of both the Kurdish and Turkish identity. The

heart of Turkish resentment is the fear of political opposition, and efforts to suppress Kurdish

culture have been means by which the government has sought to effectively eliminate the

group’s presence and anything else considered non­Turkish. Legal justifications within Turkish

25 http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/trouble­turkey­erdogan­isis­and­kurds 26 http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/trouble­turkey­erdogan­isis­and­kurds

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penal code exonerate the government’s actions to protect their national institutions through

technicalities that approve force against those aiming to destroy the country’s political order. Yet

this political and cultural suppression, such as forced relocations and language and cultural

censorship, remain merely auxiliary to the guerilla warfare. 27

In 2013, an agreed ceasefire seemed to conclude nearly three decades of fighting that

claimed over 40,000 lives. With agreement from the Turkish government, PKK members were to

peacefully emigrate from Turkey into Kurdish Iraq. However, this peace was expectedly fleeting,

as the peace talks were disagreeable and the burgeoning Syrian civil war led to accusations

against the Turks for supporting anti­Kurdish rebels in Syria. In 2014 the PKK began

counterattacks against the Islamic State, effectively breaking the ceasefire with Turks on the

Syrian border and igniting criticism against the government’s lack of involvement in engaging

with IS. 28

Current Situation:

The ceasefire officially dissipated in

2015. In a refusal to acquiesce to Kurdish

demands, the PKK has vowed to move the

conflict eastward toward Kurdish­majority cities

and further into Istanbul. The PKK has accused 29

27https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural­survival­quarterly/turkey/kurdish­repression­turkey

28 http://www.bbc.com/news/world­europe­35403260 29 https://www.thenation.com/article/turkey­is­fighting­a­dirty­war­against­its­own­kurdish­population/

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the Turkish army for instigating the agreement’s demise by bombing its presence in Iraq. 30

Southeastern Turkey remains in full­fledged conflict, as hundreds of Turkish soldiers and

policemen have fallen victim to the renewed rebellion. The cities of Cizre and Diyarbakir, 31

considered the capital of Turkish Kurdistan, have been particularly severe sites of violence, with

the Turkish government actively carrying out campaigns to stifle any PKK uprisings. 32

President Erdogan is greatly occupied by the idea of Kurdish independence within

Turkey. Autonomous gains abroad, such as Iraqi Kurdistan and Syrian Rojava, have made this

prospect more likely. The Kurdish­nationalist Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), the primary 33

representative of Kurdish political interest, has exceeded expected voting results against Erdogan

and his AKP party, in part due to its greater consolidation of leftist and rightist Turkish Kurds.

The HDP’s performance initially denied the AKP party’s majority before a revote concluded

with vote percentages as intended. 34

Unfortunately, Kurdish insurgencies are not limited to within Turkey’s borders.

Instabilities in Syria have furthermore brought the Kurdish conflict to a second front. Tensions

on the Turkish­Syrian border are quickly rising, as Turkey has been accused of shelling the

Popular Protection Units (YPG) – the armed Kurdish wing in Rojava, Syria – who Turkey

considers to be an active terrorist extension of the PKK despite being supported by Turkish allies

30 http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/trouble­turkey­erdogan­isis­and­kurds 31 http://www.bbc.com/news/world­europe­35403260 32 http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/10/turkey­isis­russia­pkk/408988/ 33 http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/trouble­turkey­erdogan­isis­and­kurds 34 https://www.thenation.com/article/turkey­is­fighting­a­dirty­war­against­its­own­kurdish­population/

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for actively fighting the Islamic State. As of now, Turkish airstrikes against the PKK have 35

outweighed those against IS. 36

This position has become particularly problematic

for Turkish foreign relations, as the United Nations, United

States, and European Union have unhesitatingly backed the

YPG for their anti­IS efforts. However, in light of Syria’s

instabilities, Syrian Kurds have been gaining greater territorial control along the Turkish­Syrian

border, a fact that only heightens severe fears of greater Kurdish autonomy. Because 37

succumbing to terrorists is not an option, reconciling foreign policy with foreign relations seems

nearly impossible without loss.

As terrorism becomes a greater threat both domestic and abroad, national strength is more

important than ever. However, the nation’s current political and economic climates are

particularly unfavorable at a time where the government most desperately needs Turkish

solidarity. With trade and tourism in decline and a failed coup attempt earlier in the year, the

Turkish government faces a myriad of issues that will undoubtedly grapple with overstretched

resources, policy, and pride.

Bloc Positions:

Under the control of standing Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, the Turkish cabinet has

been described as one of the most compliant and efficient in the nation’s history. With each

35 http://www.bbc.com/news/world­europe­35403260 36 http://www.bbc.com/news/world­europe­35403260 37 http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/08/28/world/middleeast/ap­ml­syria­.html?_r=0

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minister an avid Erdogan loyalist, Yıldırım has created a body that expectedly operates under the

ideology of Erdoganism – commitment to the creation of a “New Turkey” founded on

democracy, secularism, and national solidarity. That the Kurdish presence in Turkey threatens

these principles is collectively agreed upon.

However, the fact that Turkey is engulfed in a wide array of both domestic and foreign

issues makes prioritization a serious conversation among cabinet members. Between a pressed

economy, ravaged infrastructure, active military involvement, and vulnerable foreign relations, it

is impossible to discuss all facets thoroughly while making swift and decisive decisions on

events that call for immediate attention. While each obstacle is arguably of equal importance as

the other, the cabinet must compromise on where it allocates its time and resources while

upholding Turkish policy and efficiency.

Discussion Questions:

1. How can the Turkish government effectively protect its policemen, soldiers, and

civilians from terrorist conflict?

2. How should the cabinet address the growing support for the HDP in recent elections?

3. In what ways are the political and economic climates in Turkey contributing to its

vulnerability to Kurdish terrorism?

4. To what extent should Turkey involve itself in the Syrian conflict, and in what way

should it divide its efforts to oust Assad and fight both the Islamic State and Syrian

Kurds?

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5. How, if at all, can Turkey reconcile the differences between its foreign policy and its

foreign relations?

Key Terms:

Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK): – Kurdish militant organization based primarily in

Turkey seeking greater autonomy, self­determination and political rights for ethnic Kurds

within the nation

People’s Democratic Party (HDP): – The pro­Kurdish political party within Turkey

advocating nonviolence among Kurdish rebels; considered the political representative for

PKK efforts

Justice and Development Party (AKP): – Turkey’s largest political party and currently

holding office

Recep Tayyip Erdogan: – Founder of the AKP and current President of the Republic of

Turkey; known for his conservatism and advocate of strong secularization and

centralization

Diyarbakir: – The unofficial capital of Turkish Kurdistan located in southeastern Turkey

Rojava: – Syrian Kurdistan; an autonomous Kurdish region in northern Syria

Popular Protections Unit (YPG): – Armed unit of Rojava; considered a terrorist

organization by Turkey

Resources:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/08/28/world/middleeast/ap­ml­syria­.html?_r=0

http://www.bbc.com/news/world­europe­35403260

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https://www.thenation.com/article/turkey­is­fighting­a­dirty­war­against­its­own­kurdish­

population/

http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/trouble­turkey­erdogan­isis­and­kurds

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/10/turkey­isis­russia­pkk/408988/

https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural­survival­quarterly/turkey/kurdish­r

epression­turkey

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Cabinet of the Republic of Turkey Topic III: Special Topics in Domestic Affairs

Topic Overview:

The Turkish cabinet finds itself at a time of domestic crisis, escalated to the point of

alarm beyond Turkish borders. The Turkish military is reeling from a failed coup, wherein

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s authority in the country was challenged by treasonous

Gulenist plotters and their international henchmen. The Islamic State is all the while becoming a

more concerning threat to the daily safety of Turkish citizens. Concurrent to the country making

world news for radical terrorism and instability, the Turkish bid to join the European Union

hangs in limbo. Should the nation decide that EU membership is what’s best for the future of

Turkey, issues such as the millions of refugees streaming into the country from Syria and Iraq,

but to the geopolitical future of Turkey in Europe. With violence becoming a seemingly daily

occurrence in Ankara and all around Turkey, the domestic state of affairs for the Turkish cabinet

is anything but simple.

Historical Background:

The modern Turkish state came to be at the conclusion of World War I, in the early

1920’s. Led by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Turkish nationalist movement returned control of the

country to Turks from Sultanate rule. With his newfound independence, Ataturk made major 38

changes to lay the foundation for the Turkey that the world knows today. He took great strides to

provide a degree of liberation unknown to women at the time, removing religious influences

from the government and cultivating his ideal secular state. Preserving secularity in politics was,

38 http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/ataturk_kemal.shtml

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in Ataturk’s mind, a key step in westernizing the newfound Turkish Republic. Another of

Ataturk’s views was that of an entirely unified nation, one that refused to recognize fractured

ethnic and cultural identities. As such, the major Kurdish population of Turkey saw itself as

being oppressed by the government, sowing the seeds for decades of political unrest. Upon

Ataturk’s passing, the westernization process continued for Turkey, as they were admitted to the

United Nations in 1945 and NATO in 1952, an alliance produced by their acceptance of a

democratic system of governance in the 1940’s. Turkey’s place as a westernized, secular state 39

came into question through a series of military coups in the later part of the 20th century.

Amidst the governmental coups in Turkey, the aforementioned animosity from the

Kurdish population of Turkey was growing. The Kurdistan Workers Party (KPP) staged a series

of violent rebellions in the 1980’s, including suicide bombing of major tourist locations,

kidnapping of government officials, and direct violent confrontations with guards and

government police forces. A group founded on leftist secularism, the PKK was countered 40

through government sanctions and denunciations of separatism in the 1982 Constitution, with the

government going so far as to adopt a grassroots ‘village guard’ system to try to prevent the

violent insurgency at a local level. The size of the Kurdish presence in Turkey, though, made it 41

impossible for the government to suppress entirely (see image below). 42

Following a temporary ceasefire with the PKK in the early 2000’s, the Kurdish militants

again began to violently clash with Turkish military forces in 2004. Increasingly violent direct

and civilian­targeted terrorist attacks plagued Turkey until 2013, when a ceasefire was secretly

39 http://www.mfa.gov.tr/nato.en.mfa 40 Cordesman, Anthony. Iraq and the War of Sanctions: Conventional Threats and Weapons of Mass Destruction. 41 http://www.khrp.org/latest­news/646­turkeys­village­guard­system­still­in­place­still­an­obstacle.html 42 Image from http://www.bbc.com/news/world­middle­east­29702440

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negotiated with the PKK.

Kurdish insurgent groups

began to leave Turkey,

though their retreat

screeched to a halt later

that year when Cemil

Bayik, then leading the

PKK, threatened to renew the warfare should Turkey’s peacemaking processes not continue. 43

In 2014, the presence of ISIS was becoming a significantly more prevalent threat in and

around Turkey. The PKK, during the Syrian civil war, took an active stance in combating the

threat that IS presented in the region; they were, however, displeased with a perceived lack of

urgency in the response from the Turkish government. As the territory nearest the ISIS

insurgency was predominantly Kurdish, the Kurds protested to try to get more support from

government forces in defending the area. This led, yet again, to deadly clashes between Kurdish

protesters and Turkish police. The violent tension between Kurds in Turkey and their 44

government has continued to grow even as Turkey has militarily engaged with ISIS in the time

since 2015; the cultural tensions are as much of an issue as ever.

During the summer months of 2016, President Erdogan’s power underwent the most

serious threat to date. On July 15th, military tanks and helicopters went rogue, attacking police

holding in and around Ankara. Those staging the coup then moved into the national Turkish

43 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/10/pkk­threatens­renew­fight­turkey­201310226444407255.html 44 http://www.bbc.com/news/world­middle­east­29518448

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broadcasting station, wherein they forced a news anchor to broadcast a message bemoaning the

erosion of secularity in government and Erdogan’s Islamist policies. During this Erdogan was 45

on vacation in Southern Turkey. His administration attempted to reassert their power to the

country via repeated decrees and interviews, but violence waged on into the night and early

morning. Eventually, Erdogan was able to return to Istanbul and convince the citizens of Turkey

that the group leading the coup had no legitimacy. The military groups were eventually

neutralized, and Erdogan reassumed his position with a renewed sense of power. While the coup

had tapped into rampant and existing animosities, it did so with no clear leadership or unity

among the ranks of the rebels. In addressing the country and the world, President Erdogan used

religious conviction and ceremonies to craft a narrative of the triumph of an Islamist rule. 46

Erdogan has repeatedly moved to distance his administration from the secular influence and

legacy of Ataturk, instead celebrating the Ottoman past of the country. And now, with his power

as solidified as ever, Erdogan’s image of the country is settling in after what many are calling a

‘Second Turkish War of Independence’.

Current Situation:

In the immediate aftermath of the failed coup d’état, the global community has been

trying to piece together exactly what happened in Turkey. The international community was

noticeably absent from supporting Erdogan and democracy when it was threatened by violence

and subterfuge. At the time, Twitter was filled with conflicting account of what was happening

in the early hours of July 16th, who was responsible for the violence, and who was truly in

45 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world­news/turkey­coup­live­updates­explosion­8431256#rlabs=1%20rt$category%20p$4 46 http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/08/world/europe/turkey­erdogan­coup­ataturk.html?_r=0

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charge. Once it became clear the Erdogan was to maintain his power, the fate of the would­be

traitors became of global concern.

Erdogan was widely expected to be

extremely vengeful in dealing with those

who had attempted to take control of

Turkey, and American media outlets

investigated what punishments and trials

would be dealt to the “virus” in the

military who had risen up against

Erdogan. Quoted as stating “This 47

uprising is a gift from God to us because this will be a reason to cleanse our army,” Erdogan’s

Turkey is currently in a temporary state of emergency, with over 60,000 people (police officers

to military leaders to civilians) having been detained. Alongside all of the tumult from the failed

coup, Turkey is still in the process of attempting to join the European Union. The purging of

Turkish citizens and leaders accused of supporting the failed coup has raised alarm with

European Union leaders, who have been quick to condemn Erdogan for his potentially dangerous

consolidation of power. Despite their disapproval, these European so­called “leaders” were 48

quiet as democracy was threatened in Turkey, and now have decided it is time to register

discontent, as the treasonous villains are forced into the light of justice. While the international

community is watching Turkey closely, the refugee crisis that is ongoing in the area has required

47 http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21702511­failed­putsch­was­bloodiest­turkey­has­seen­backlash­worrying­after­coup 48 http://www.reuters.com/article/us­europe­migrants­eu­turkey­idUSKCN1181IC

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and continues to require Turkish support. Turkey’s proximity to Syria makes it a required

gateway to prevent continued influx into other European nations (see image). Turkey’s role in

the refugee crisis gives it sizable leverage in diplomatic relations with the EU, but credibility that

Erdogan’s response to the coup is in good faith is paramount to future relations with the body. It

is this major question that has led EU leaders to push Turkey further than before, and it is the

responsibility of the Cabinet to address the concerns of a body that Turkey wishes to join. 49

Bloc Positions:

As a whole, the Turkish Cabinet has a vested interest in preventing an autocratic state

from taking shape in Turkey. This is why clearing the military, educational institutions, and

government of Gulenists and other treasonous plotters is absolutely necessary. Some

implications of a powerless Cabinet are the country losing a chance at EU membership,

something that it has been working for some time to achieve, as well as increasing the likelihood

of already toxic ethnic relations worsening domestically. With tensions running high due to the

global awareness of the refugee crisis, the Turkish Cabinet would do well to ensure that it can

serve as a leader in de­escalation, rather than worsen an already vulnerable region.

Discussion Questions:

1. The Turkish Cabinet is responsible for overseeing the long­term and short­term success

of the nation. It has to consider whether Erdogan’s reaction to the coup and to those

involved is appropriate, motivated by honest and benevolent reasoning. It must consider

whether the actions taken by Erdogan put the nation’s bid to join the EU at a risk greater

49 http://www.politico.eu/article/eu­ministers­re­assess­turkey­migration­deal­europe­refugee­crisis­asylum­erdogan/

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than the benefits provided by their being carried out. The Cabinet must also consider

what role it envisions

2. Should Turkey act as the leader of the region with regards to the refugee situation?

Should it defer on a problem that is largely non­domestic in nature?

Resources:

https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/08/03/government­response­turkeys­coup­affront­democ

racy

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/swiss­turkish­relations_top­swiss­diplomat­defends­

turkish­coup­response/42364396

https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2016/08/01/which­bigger­threat­turkey­coup

­erdogan­response/8ZMHF3HfMNhYuxn2PCO4LL/story.html

http://www.haaretz.com/israel­news/1.731310

http://www.haaretz.com/middle­east­news/turkey/1.736145

https://www.stratfor.com/geopolitical­diary/turkeys­coup­puts­europe­awkward­spot

https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/broken­trust­how­failed­coup­weakens­turkey

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/07/what­caused­the­turkish­coup­attempt­

214057

http://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/07/turkey­government/491579/

http://blogs.cfr.org/cook/2016/08/01/turkeys­failed­coup­and­the­united­states/