Essay on Turkey's Internal Conflict and the Kurdish Minority

The independence of Turkey and its early development as a country full of energetic youth required a combination of two almost contradictory ideals : In order to illustrate its disassociation with the past Ottoman authority the new government desired international style which expresses scientific modernization and political liberation; However, the Kemalists also wanted to preserve a certain degree of cultural root in order to boost, if not, maintain nationalistic devotion of its citizens. Consequently, a new hybridization of theses two ideals emerged

Summary: Although the numbers can be deceiving, Turkey is a very diverse country with a population of 75 million. Turkey’s population of 75 million is very well educated, in this country it is customary to go to 4 years of elementary school, 4 years of middle school, and 4 years of high school. Although 98% of that 75 million (73,500,000) practices the Islamic religion, they all come from different backgrounds. You can tell that because of the very diverse range of languages spoken throughout the country. 75% of the population speaks Turkish, The second most spoken language is Kurdish and third most is Arabic. The most popular foreign languages are 17% English, German 5% and French 3%. They may have a lot of English Speakers because Turkey and U.S. are allies and are on good terms with each other. Remember that all of these factors will lead to cultural differences. In Turkey you greet someone by shaking their hand or if they are a friend you give them a light hug and place a kiss on their cheek. These are some ways that Turkish people show respect for one another. These are all factors of why people would want to live here and why this country has a total population of about 75

The Kurds are known as the “world’s longest running contemporary resistance movements-a one-hundred-and-fifty-year-old struggle.” Many articles, books, and journals have been written to describe that more than twenty-five million Kurds witness all forms of oppression from the nation-states, but yet it fails to be recognised. The Kurds currently inhabit “a mountainous region straddling the borders of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Armenia.” Although, the Kurds have failed to achieve a permanent state, it contains a diverse community of different culture, religion, and language. However, the Kurds have been determined to change the aftermath of the World War One, as the Treaty of Lausanne created the status of stateless Kurds, leaving them in the hands of the postcolonial nation-states. It is also important to note that from different regions of Kurdistan, many tribal leaders have raised, for instance Seyid Riza has rebelled against Turkey, was executed for demanding an identity for Kurds, and Abdullah Ocalan has been prisoned for life at an Imranli island. The story of strong tribal leaders still continues today, and its bravery has been praised by the existing Kurdish

Turkey, a relatively new nation, is not new to internal conflict and the oppression of minorities. Wedged between Europe and the Middle East, the area occupied by Turkey has long served as a crossroads between these areas, and, as a result, Turkey's majority Islamic Arab populace is smattered with significant pockets of minorities. These religious and ethnic minorities have been the source of much controversy in Turkey, but now change appears to be on the horizon. As Turkey seeks the approval of the European Union, it has begun to implement impressive humanitarian reforms that should drastically improve the plight of the minorities that call the nation home.

According to United Kingdom based news syndicate, BBC, in their article entitled, Who are the Kurds?, “Between 25 and 35 million Kurds inhabit the mountainous region straddling the borders of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Armenia” (2016). This would make them the fourth largest ethnic group in the Middle East. Although the Kurds adhere to a number of different religions and creeds, they are considered a race of people with a unique history that separate themselves from the surrounding cultures of the middle east due to their differing religious beliefs, cuisine, dance, crafts, and geopolitics.

Kurdistan is a region that has existed in turmoil and is the “never was” country. The Kurds are the fourth largest ethnic group of the Middle East, numbering between 20 and 25 million. Approximately 15 million live in the regions of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria, an area they called Kurdistan, yet they do not have a country of their own. Formal attempts to establish such a state were crushed by the larger and more powerful countries in the region after both world wars. When the Ottoman Empire collapsed after World War I, the Kurds were promised their own independent nation under the Treaty of Sevres. In 1923 however, the treaty was broken allowing Turkey to maintain its status and not allowing the Kurdish people to have a nation to call

On 25 September 2017, an independence referendum was held for Iraqi Kurdistan. The results were overwhelming with 93 percent of votes in favor of independence. This referendum raised tensions between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Government of Iraq and Iraqi Federal Forces which launched attacks on Kurdish territories (Peçanha, 2017). In mid-October, the disputed city of Kirkuk was retaken from the Kurds (Dubin, 2017). Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to shut down their border with the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iraqi and Turkish forces held military exercises on their border. Iran is planning their own military exercises with the Iraqi military and closed its airspace to Iraqi

The Kurds mostly live throughout Iran, Turkey and Iraq. Also, some of them can be found living in Syria, Russia, Lebanon and Germany. Kurdish intellectuals live in exile in European countries such as France, Sweden etc. (1 pg.1). In 1975, the Kurds made up 19 percent of Turkey’s population with a total number of 7,500,000 people. They had a population of 2,500,000 people in Iraq which made 23 percent of the country’s population. In Iran, the Kurdish people made up 10 percent of Iran’s population consisting of 3,500,000. In addition, the Kurds were a part of 8.5 percent of Syria’s population with 500,000 people (1 pg. 4). Moreover, in 1991, the Kurds maintained 19 percent of Turkey’s population with an increased population of 10,800,000 people. Their numbers increased in Iraq with a population of 4,100,000 people upholding their 23 percentile. The Kurdish people increased in numbers and made up 23 percent of Iran’s population with a number of 5,500,000. Their population consisted of 1,000,000 in Syria making up 8 percent of their populace (1 pg. 4). Therefore, one can draw the conclusion that the Kurds are in large

Following this period of immense change, Turkey will remain in somewhat of a status quo for the next ten years, while President Erdogan is in power. The new electoral rules from the 2017 referendum include a five-year presidential election cycle, with a two-term limit (Why did Turkey hold a referendum?, 2017). Erdogan has had a long and successful career in Turkish politics, as Mayor of Istanbul in 1994, forming his own party the AK Party (AKP), serving as Prime Minister, and eventually becoming President. He is immensely popular in some areas of Turkey, including the Anatolian heartland and Black Sea region. His popularity and influence can be seen by the public’s willing response when called to arms by the President during the July 2016 coup attempt, as well as his increased approval rating shortly after his crackdown on the Gulenists (Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Turkey's pugnacious president, 2017). Due to these factors, Erdogan will be re-elected in 2019 and serve as President until 2024. As a result of his re-election, he will use his newly

From an ancient civilization, to a modern day nation-state Turkey has been defined by several important and influential periods that mold its modern day politics. The area occupies a crucial commercial strategic area linking Asia and Europe. Istanbul is the only city in the world to span two continents. The area is known as the world’s oldest human civilization with extensive agricultural use. Following a series of successive empires proceeds to the present identity of Turkey. Complex issues arise with fragmented and militaristic rulers. A nation with historical origination of indentured military personnel, restricted freedoms, an extensive expansionistic policy, lead to the formation of a republic. This republic founded on the principle of for the people, whom consent to sovereignty and governance from the top. Presenting evidence of the historical past, formation of a democratic governance system, leads to an analytical understanding of the degradation of the democratic system in Turkey. While controlled by a democratically elected head of state, is slowing diminishing personal freedoms and leading to what some draw a parallel to the country’s troubled formation in the Middle East. This country presents an interesting case study as many claim the country to be the model of the Middle East. The model of to be a functioning democracy with ninety-nine percent of its population being religiously identified as Islamic. Turkey’s ability to maintain “a secular democratic state in

Ethnic minorities around the world remain to face significant and major barriers to social mobility and equal opportunities and resources. One of the main risks that almost all minority groups face is being driven away from their land and deprived from their natural resources, which are vital and essential for their livelihood. In addition to systematic inequity, members of ethnic minorities can face day-to-day discrimination which can cause them to feel less welcome and accepted. Uyghur muslims in China and Kurds in Turkey illustrate and represent the problems faced by ethnic minorities, and how such problems have played an important role leading to political stability and a violation of human rights within a nation.

The Turkish government has fought the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) for the last thirty-two years. The conflict has claimed countless thousands of lives, and caused more than 300,000 to go homeless following the destruction of their villages (Mandıracı, 2016). Despite these atrocities Turkey’s economy has steadily grown, though at a slower rate than otherwise would be possible. Turkey has a highly diversified economy with strong sectors including agriculture, automotive production and shipbuilding. Turkey trades with neighboring countries including the U.S. and the United Kingdom, although there is a sizeable trade imbalance. Foreign Direct Investment figures are rising. Turkey has enjoyed support from the U.S. since the 1950’s and has partnered with the US militarily most notably in Afghanistan. Turkey has strong allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the European Union (EU). Tipping the scales downwards is Turkey’s vision of itself. It seeks to create a version of democracy marked by intolerance of Kurds. It is the most serious problem Turkey faces.

Over the last decade Erdogan has made himself the most powerful prime minister in Turkey’s history, the most successful elected leader in the Middle East and the West’s idol for a modern Muslim country. He attended a religious high school and grew up in a conservative neighborhood. A member of the youth groups of Islamist parties, he was elected Istanbul’s mayor in 1994 at age of forty and in 2002 he became the country’s first Islamist prime minister. He cleaned up the city and improved

The world is becoming much more connected, especially in the last few decades. The idea of being free individuals has become more important, as well as free market economies. Some ideologies have collapsed because of their antiquated offers about the political situations, yet some of them are ruling the world in the last hundred years. But if there is something certain about the whole world, it is that globalization is affecting and changing it. Turkey is located at the center of the Europe, Asia and Africa, therefore the political and economical circumstances of it are important both for the Western part and the Eastern part of the world, then, the role of the globalization is very important to Turkey.

Stereotypes abound about Turkey. For many people in the United States and Europe and indeed in much of Asia as well the picture that people have of Turkey is one from the nation's past, a collage of souks and dusty women heavily veiled, of children running the streets to pickpocket tourists and steal from street vendors. Of a nation caught forever between the past and the modern, Asia and Europe, democracy and caliphate, Islam and Christianity. These images call up a nation roiling in conflict, one that should most likely be avoided and that, if it cannot be, should be visited with head down, keeping oneself to oneself to avoid street crime as well as images of abject poverty.