CTC Sentinel. Volume 7, Issue 11. November/December 2014

Abstract

The rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has created an area where Turkish and Kurdish interests overlap: both parties are thoroughly alarmed at ISIL s expansion. However, delicate and sensitive cooperation against ISIL has to take place in the broader context of the complicated and evolving Kurdish- Turkish relationship. While Turkey develops its response to the ISIL threat and the Syrian crisis, it is also managing Kurdish relations as part of its effort to redefine the Turkish state and Turkish national identity. On their side, the Kurdish leaders especially the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq are compelled to deal with a complex and sometimes competing array of Kurdish organizational alliances and interests that cross international borders, while trying to deepen their relations with Ankara. Despite the complicated nature of the situation, there are reasons to be hopeful. This article contextualizes what some observers refer to as the Byzantine nature of changing Turkish-Kurdish relations in the fight against ISIL. For example, the fact that Turkey gave permission to Iraqi peshmerga troops to cross into Syria by way of Turkey, as saviors of Syrian Kurds, and that Turkey is now training Kurdish peshmerga forces against ISIL,1 came as a surprise even to some seasoned observers. However, decisions such as these are best viewed as contingent outcomes rather than signals of a re-alignment, reflecting short- and medium-term tactical and strategic decisions by Turkish and Kurdish leaders. They can best be seen through the prism of regional networks of elites and rooted political rivalries. This article makes this claim through a brief discussion of Turkish-Kurdish relations before ISIL, how the rise of ISIL affected this relationship, and how the relationship is evolving to meet the ISIL threat.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2014
Accession Number
ADA619334

Entities

People

  • Bryan Price
  • Cindy R. Jebb
  • Suzanne Nielsen

Organizations

  • United States Military Academy

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Anti-Tank Missiles
  • Commerce
  • Counterterrorism
  • Employment
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • Man Borne Improvised Explosive Devices
  • Minority Groups
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Political Ideologies
  • Political Systems
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States Military Academy
  • Weapons Effects

Readers

  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
  • Strategic Security Studies