Friday
Feb292008
Jamestown Releases a New Occasional Paper on Turkey & Northern Iraq (Paper by Gareth Jenkins)
Friday, February 29, 2008 at 20:57 WASHINGTON, DC (2/29/08)--The Jamestown Foundation has released a new Occasional Paper entitled “Turkey and Northern Iraq: An Overview.” The paper is authored by Gareth Jenkins, a Turkey Analyst for The Jamestown Foundation. This paper attempts to give context to the current imbroglio between Turkey and northern Iraq, delving into the historical and cultural aspects of the problem to provide greater clarity toward understanding the issue and Ankara’s policies in the region. Jenkins also suggests what to expect in the future for Turkey’s Kurdish question.
After a thorough primer on the demographics of the southeastern Turkey / northern Iraq region—including the Kurds, the Turks and the Turkmen—Jenkins explains the relevant history of Kurds in both Turkey and Iraq. The author portrays Turkish policy toward northern Iraq as shaped principally by three factors: recidivist Ottoman nostalgia and continued resentment at the loss of Mosul and the oil fields of Kirkuk; the use of northern Iraq by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as a platform for attacks into Turkey; and fears that the creation of a Kurdish political identity could further fuel separatist sentiments among its own already restive Kurdish minority. In light of the Turkish military’s invasion of northern Iraq on February 21, Jenkins concludes by asserting that Turkish engagement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)—heretofore unrecognized by Ankara—is critical to truly eradicating the PKK.
After a thorough primer on the demographics of the southeastern Turkey / northern Iraq region—including the Kurds, the Turks and the Turkmen—Jenkins explains the relevant history of Kurds in both Turkey and Iraq. The author portrays Turkish policy toward northern Iraq as shaped principally by three factors: recidivist Ottoman nostalgia and continued resentment at the loss of Mosul and the oil fields of Kirkuk; the use of northern Iraq by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as a platform for attacks into Turkey; and fears that the creation of a Kurdish political identity could further fuel separatist sentiments among its own already restive Kurdish minority. In light of the Turkish military’s invasion of northern Iraq on February 21, Jenkins concludes by asserting that Turkish engagement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)—heretofore unrecognized by Ankara—is critical to truly eradicating the PKK.
- The full paper can be downloaded here.
