The Determinant Roles of Turkish Identity in Relations with the Kurdistan Region in Iraq after the End of Cold War
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23918/ejmss.V6i1P54Keywords:
Kurdistan Region; Relations with Kurdistan; Sevres Syndrome; Turkish identity; WesternizationAbstract
The developments that started in the Tanzimat Era have profound effects on the formation of the Turkish identity in Turkey. The modern Turkish state structure was highly affected by internal and external developments, which can be identified as great waves such as the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution and modernization processes which deeply affected Europe and the countries in its periphery. In the formation of Turkish identity, the state's efforts to keep up with the developments in Western world like nationalism movements have a tremendous impact. In addition, the continuous loss of land from the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699 until the Treaty of Sevres on 10 August 1920 is one of the traumatic effects on the formation of this identity. Moreover, the emergence of the separatist PKK terrorist organization after 1980 in Turkey, which also experienced the effects of postimperial traumas, further reactivated the traumas of division, because the Kurdish population in Turkey is remarkably high. The Turkish identity which has been formed under the influence of these traumas has also had significant effects on the relations with the Iraqi Kurdistan region. The nationalist movements that fluctuated depending on the internal developments in Turkey sometimes played more decisive roles in the relations with the Kurdistan region than any other factor. This study investigates the effect of the Turkish identity formed in the process in Turkey on the relations with the Kurdistan region. It is based on a qualitative research design and used document analysis and a review of relevant literature to understand the role of Turkish identity in shaping relations with the Kurdistan Region.
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