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As Kurdish forces have gained control of more land in northeastern Syria, the Turkish government has become increasingly alarmed. Turkey has been targeting Kurdish YPG fighters, which they consider to be a terrorist group. Meanwhile Russia is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has warned Turkey against any attacks in Syria. Turkish President Erdogan is concerned about increasing Kurdish control on the Syria side of the border with Turkey. The Kurds are a major ethnic group spread across Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran with 30-45 million people and aspirations for forming a sovereign state in the Middle East.
1. Should Turkey seek international assistance in confronting the Syrian Kurds given the ongoing civil war between government and rebel forces in Southern Syria?
2. Would it help if Middle Eastern nations could agree to grant Kurdistan sovereignty to limit violence in the region?
3. What role should Russia, the U.S., and the U.N. play in the Syrian Civil War and conflict between Turkey and Syrian Kurds?
Russia, the U.S., and the U.N. should do whatever they can to help relieve the tensions between the two groups. Instead of interfering by attacking, they can help by letting the Syrians and the Kurds compromise on their own. While, this may take a long time, I believe that this is the best solution due to the escalating violence in northeastern Syria. Also, allowing Middle Eastern nations to grant Kurdistan sovereignty to limit violence in the region may just give rise to new conflicts as Turkey may feel that it is not supported by the other nations.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Turkey would like foreign aid, the US shouldn’t engage in excessively violent behavior because it would hurt their relationship with Russia and Syria. The US should only send troops and military supplies to Turkey for the purpose of defending against Kurdish attacks. Turkey could also grant sovereignty to the Kurds, but like Palestine and Israel or Spain and Catalonia, Turkey would be reluctant to lose some of their territory, especially to a group of people that they regard as an enemy. Ideally, Turkey should give some territory along the border of Turkey and Syria to form Kurdistan. However, if the US and UN push for this solution, Turkey would feel betrayed and angry, which would impact trade between Turkey and other countries.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the Kurdish crisis, one must understand that while a concrete solution may seem ideal, this crisis must be attempted through both a long term and short term solution. The short term goal must be that the complete cease of gaining land by the Kurds, perhaps through a UN resolution. This will allow a temporary period of lessening tensions, and will also allow time for peace talks, which the UN should initiate. I believe that the long term goal (in which I mean in the next decades) ultimately should be the creation of a Kurdish country. True, the creation of a Kurdish country can create conflicts. However, given the time for peace talks and political deals, there will be more diplomatic relations between the Kurds and surrounding countries. This crisis is very similar to the Zionists; the Kurds will continue to fight non stop for their land, just like the Jews. Therefore, the UN must work on alleviating tensions among Kurds and bordering nations- the short term goal- in order to accomplish the formal creation of Kurdish country, which not only will satisfy the millions of Kurdish people, but also affected civilians.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that Turkey should seek international assistance in confronting the Syrian Kurds because with the civil war between the government and the rebel forces in Southern Syria, they might be drawn into the war, and this could be a negative thing for them. The war could escalate farther than just in the country if Turkey becomes the government's ally, with the rebels seeking help from other countries.
ReplyDeleteSeeking international assistance in confronting the Syrian Kurds would not be ideal because it may just cause a giant out-break concluding in a massive war. As Olivia said, this war would be between the government and the protesters/rebel forces in Southern Syria. This could harshly impact themselves and they may be defeated easily. Instead, they should negotiate this with the rebel forces and try to agree on something, rather than having more countries involved.
ReplyDeleteIf Turkey asks for international assistance, they would just bring other countries into the problem. It's not very smart to get more countries involved. However, Kurds aren't just in Turkey; they are spread across several countries. I think those countries should pitch in with whatever they can do to ease the tension.
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