Turkish-Kurdish Relations and the Conflicts in Syria: The Kurdish Influence on Turkish Involvement in Syria
Date
2018-05
Authors
Pastore, Richard
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Abstract
Since the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War, the Erdogan Regime in Turkey has been harshly criticized by its allies, and has been questioned by the international community with respect to its intentions for the region. Specifically, in regard to Turkish relations with the recently autonomous Democratic Union Party (PYD), a Kurdish organization based in northern Syria. The Erdogan regime has equated the PYD with that of the Turkey-based terrorist group the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), and as a result has begun military operations against them. This paper will attempt to explore the possible explanations for the Turkish involvement in the Syrian Conflict, especially as it relates to the PYD in Northern Syria and their relationship to the PKK in Southern Turkey. The geographically contiguous nature of these two Kurdish organizations has resulted in a border crisis for Turkey, assuming that the autonomy of the Syrian Kurds continues post-war.
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Keywords
Syrian Civil War, Turkey, Kurdistan, terrorism, PYD, PKK, Honors College
Citation
Pastore, R. (2018). Turkish-Kurdish relations and the conflicts in Syria: The Kurdish influence on Turkish involvement in Syria (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.