Alwaght- The regional and international developments following the Second World War have pushed Turkey and Syria to two fully distinct directions. On the one hand, Turkey got into the Western bloc, and on the other hand, Syria, while holding anti-Western views, decided to side closely with the former Soviet Union.
After collapse of the Soviet Union which represented the Eastern bloc and some changes in the bipolar global system, the relations of Ankara and Damascus to a degree moved to improvement. The two countries' diplomatic ties hit a climax after the Justice and Development Party (JDP) of Turkey took over the power in the country.
Sparking since 2011, the Syrian crisis, however, has deteriorated the relations of the two countries, transforming Turkey into one of the key adversaries of the Syrian government. As conflict rolled on, it has brought about for Turkey an array of different security challenges.
The most significant challenges Ankara is grappling with are as follows:
- Failure of the "zero-tension policy” with the neighbors. After rise of the Islamists to the power in the country, Turkey for its foreign policy relied to Ahmet Davutoglu, the former PM, and his theory of zero-tension relations with the neighboring countries.
But now it sees no remaining signs of this policy. By supporting anti-Syrian government forces, not only Ankara damaged good ties with its important neighbors like Iran and Russia but also it put aside in practice the policy of zero-tensions with the neighbors. Instead it has replaced it with pro-Western pathways. But very soon this policy met with failure too as two Turkish fighter jets were shot down in Syria’s airspace. Downing jets not only questioned the Turkish military capabilities but also cast doubts over Western and NATO alliance with Ankara.
Indeed although the Turkish jets entered the Syrian airspace over coordination with both US and NATO, neither Turkey showed a serious reaction nor NATO decided to intervene militarily for Turkey. This came while NATO’s commitment to defend its members against an attack is supposed to be sacrosanct. Following the incident, NATO suffices to simply condemn the Syrian government’s act, calling it an example of inconsistency of the Syrian leaders to the international laws, peace, and security. This NATO's behavior caused gaps among Turkey’s political officials and elites, drawing them to more than ever admit the flop of their country's foreign policy.
- Increased political and social discontent. Following outbreak of the crisis in Syria and Turkish government’s hostile stances towards Damascus, people along with political parties severely protested Ankara’s positions. The most violent forms of protests against the government's standing took place in Gezi Park in Istanbul's Taksim Squer, and also the recent coup attempt of the military was a form of protest to the current policies.
Meanwhile, one of the major reasons behind growing social discontent in the Turkish community is President Erdogan government’s foreign policy. In fact, Erdogan’s ambitious neo-Ottomanist policies have turned into a serious challenge for the country. Many of Turkish people have a highly negative memory of the disastrous, ambitious neo-Ottomanism.
During the first two decades of the 20th century the ambitions of Young Turks for restoring the lost power of the Ottoman Empire resulted in full demolition of the empire, and it even exposed the Turkish identity to full disappearance, and it was due to policies of Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkey, and also by putting aside the Pan-Turkist and Pan-Islamist policies that the Republic of Turkey was able to rise again in 20th century.
Generally, since spark of the Syrian crisis, there appeared deep gaps between the ruling JDP and political parties in the country about the way of engagement of the Turkish government in the conflict in the neighboring country. The blasts that rocked Reyhanli in Turkey's Hatay province as well as the insecurity and instability in Turkey that followed the conflict in Syria rendered a majority of the Turks opponents of their government’s policy towards Syria. The economic troubles, the pro-Western policies, especially excessive closeness to the US over Syria, have caused public unhappiness. Many of the protestors argued that Recep Tayyip Erdogan exploited the Syrian developments, and sought taking advantages for his own party in the country's political scene.
On the other side, the political parties at home that were against Ankara’s policies over Syria believe that due to some internal conditions, the Syrian insecurity impacts Turkey's security, and would pose threats to the Turkish sovereignty. Therefore, it can be said that Erdogan’s foreign policy in general and Turkey's Syrian policies in particular have not been ineffective in the expansion of the range of the protests in the country.
- Inadvertent support to the Kurds. The Syrian crisis has seriously challenged the Turkish conventional policy of dealing with the Kurds. Because, as the instability covered the Syrian cities, the anti-Ankara Kurds in Turkey intensified activities in the country. Meanwhile, although Erdogan since the beginning of the Syrian conflict showed sensitivity to the movements of the Kurds and even talked about establishment of safe border zone in northern Syria if PKK continued threatening Turkey, the passage of time indicated that this Ankara’s policy, too, was a total failure.
The ongoing PKK's attacks in different Turkish cities not only disrupted the security there but also questioned Erdogan government’s legitimacy and efficiency in protecting the national security and facing the destabilizing factors. This came while instead of the Syrian army that for long time secured the Syrian-Turkish borders the militants of PKK and Democratic Union part (PYD), the Syrian branch of PKK, seized control of the Kurdish-inhabited cities of northern Syria like Al-Qamishli, Al-Hasakah, Ras al-Ayn, Malkiya, and Afrin. In fact, the members of PKK have gained control of some border areas of Syria with Turkey, something increasingly fanned PKK's guerrilla war with the Turkish army.
Therefore, Ankara by supporting anti-Syrian government forces in addition to destroying the security of Syria endangered its own national security. Actually, by having the back of Syria's opposition groups it practically provided a favorable space for unity of the divided Kurdish parties in both sides of the border. In fact, blocking strengthening of PKK due to the Syrian crisis and closing the way of violence and insecurity inside Turkey have changed into the major reasons of the Turkish government for seeking a settlement for the Kurdish cause. But the course of developments of Syria conflict once again ignited the war between Ankara and the Kurds.
- Provoking the Alawites. Despite the fact that the Alawites of Turkey are ostensibly different from those of Syria in terms of holding their rituals, they are very similar in terms of their religious beliefs and are highly close to each other. So, in a time that Turkey is openly supporting the Free Syrian Army and has adopted a tough policy against the Alawite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, many of the Alawites of Turkey are overtly opposing Erdogan’s policies. It is for this very reason that the Alawites opposing Erdogan’s policies several times held demonstrations, chanting " no to war", "US hands off the Islamic nations", "down with NATO", "no to imperialism interventions", and " the JDP chooses war and the nations choose peace."
