Facing heavy domestic turmoil, and pursuing its own foreign policy agenda, Turkey doing little else
Despite the central role Turkey will likely be needed to play in any potential resolution to ongoing conflict in Syria, growing instability within the country and a self-serving foreign policy approach have only further complicated the path for such a resolution to materialize.
Turkey, to its credit, has taken on by far the heaviest load in addressing the mass exodus of refugees fleeing conflict in Syria. Additionally, they have been dealt heavy blows domestically by recent terrorist actions within the country that have necessitated a greater focus on addressing their domestic situation.
But a foreign policy focused predominantly on curbing any Kurdish attempts to gain a foothold on territory within the region has on many fronts hindered any attempts by the United States and other parties to make any headway on combatting the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) and stem the violence of the Syrian Civil War. At present, Turkey’s inability to control conflict within their borders, as well as the borders themselves, and their government’s increasingly authoritarian tendencies have only further made Turkey into an unreliable domestic partner.
Internally, Turkey’s domestic situation has deteriorated markedly in recent years, as Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian policies have left Turkey far more distant today from its allies in the West. Terrorist attacks within the country in the past year, particularly since the start of 2016, have only further displayed Turkey’s current struggle to control rebel or terrorist organizations (namely, the Kurdistan Workers Party [PKK] and ISIS) within their borders.
Turkey’s borders have been the source of particular concern, both for their own government, as well as for other actors in the region who point to Turkey’s weak borders as fuel for the conflict in Syria. It has been well established that Turkey’s border with Syria has been a “veritable open door for extremists, terrorist finance, and weapons” since the start of the war in 2011. The traffic is a two-way street; however, as goods entering the country have become significant sources of financial support for ISIS. The border trouble is not limited to ISIS, however; many have pointed to Turkey’s borders as enabling the infiltration of the Syrian opposition with extremists, such as Jabhat al-Nusra.
Turkey’s inability, or rather its unwillingness many argue, has created a tense friction between Turkey and its once-strong alliances with the United States and the European Union (EU). Turkey is doing far too little, they say, to close this border and address what has been a key strategic element to ISIS’ growth and funding. Is Turkey really at the table in trying to fight ISIS, many skeptics are asking?
In truth, ISIS is not a priority in Turkey’s foreign policy. President Erdogan is far more concerned with fighting Kurdish rebel groups and regaining greater domestic stability than he is on stopping ISIS. The threat of a growing Kurdish opposition, both within Turkey and within Syria, has been without doubt the single greatest concern to Turkey throughout the conflict in Syria.
But despite Turkey’s full right to enact a self-serving foreign policy, such a policy has come in large part at the expense of other pushes for peace in the region. In addition to the aforementioned problem with borders, Turkey’s ongoing battle with Syria’s Kurdshas continuously thrown a wrench into the foreign policy interests of other actors attempting to combat ISIS. The Kurds have proven to be the most effective force thus far in combatting the rise of ISIS, but have had to fight a battle on multiple fronts with both ISIS and Turkey (as well Syrian government forces). As the Syrian Kurdish forces are being armed by the United States, they are simultaneously fighting the US’ ally, Turkey.
Turkey has been most helpful thus far in handling the flood of refugees from Syria, taking on a whopping 2.6 million of nearly 5 million refugees since the outbreak of conflict, according to the most recent figures from the United Nations. But Turkey has grownincreasingly unwilling to continue to take on such numbers: “Reversing a longstanding policy of welcoming Syrian refugees, Turkey has sealed the border to the vast majority of newly displaced people.” Even the recent refugee agreement worked out between EU and Turkey has been roundly criticized, even by the United Nations, as merely addressing the crisis from the standpoint of the European nations, while merely changing but not improving the fates of the refugees themselves.
In sum, Turkey’s actions (and inaction) in recent years have been a far cry from the leadership necessary to combat ISIS or find any resolution to conflict in Syria. Turkey has raised growing fears among other nations that they may become a real danger not only to peace in Syria at present, but to the region as a whole. Granted, Turkey faces a host of domestic issues that, if left unaddressed, could spiral out of control. Despite this, however, they have thus far taken little more than an insignificant role in addressing the issues facing the region, and have consistently shown to be an unreliable partner for peace in recent years.
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