There is war in Ukraine and the whole world is talking about it. Meanwhile, Turkey is attacking in northern Iraq without much noise. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is continuing a controversial tradition : the “war on terror” in northern Iraq. Every year in spring,, Erdogan launches his military offensive against the militias of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK. Officially, the ground and air attacks serve to prevent the PKK, which is also classified by the EU and the U.S. as a terrorist organization and is in some cases prone to violence, from entering Turkey.
Specifically, the Turkish Air Force has bombed PKK hideouts, tunnels and ammunition depots, according to its Defense Ministry. In the process, a large number of terrorists have been neutralized, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Hulusi Akar.
Given argument: The right to self-defense
The explanation for the military activities : Article 51 of the UN Charter, in which the right to self-defense is written down. Nevertheless, doubts about the action continue to arise. One open question, for example, is: Are these offensives compatible with international law?
International law states, among other things, that the military of one country may not carry out operations in another country without the permission of the respective head of state. Strictly speaking, therefore, Erdogan should have informed President Masrur Barsani of his plans before invading northern Iraq and the Kurdish autonomous regions there.
However, after the first attacks in northern Iraq in mid-April, Barsani claimed to have known nothing about them. So a clear case of a breach of international law? It’s not that simple. Officially, it is illegal under international law, since the Iraqi government also denies any involvement. But there are always rumors that there is a tacit agreement with both Baghdad and the Kurdish government in Erbil. Furthermore, the Turkish fight against the PKK is also tolerated by many countries around the world and, therefor partly supported.
The reason for this can be found in the history of the controversial organization. The PKK’s history begins when the Ottoman Empire slowly disintegrated in the wake of World War I – and with it the independent Kurdish settlement areas that were scattered. Between 1920 and 1930, when the Kurdish territories are divided among several countries – Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran – the first Kurdish uprisings occur. Despite harsh counterattacks by the Turkish army, Kurdish resistance has been growing ever since. In 1960, 1971 and 1980, radical Kurdish-motivated coup attempts follow in Turkey.
In 1984, the PKK officially launched the fight for an independent Kurdish state. Especially in the southeast and east of Turkey, this temporarily leads to conflicts reminiscent of a civil war. From then on, the radicalization process within the Kurdish Workers’ Party begins, leading to numerous attacks in Turkey. Today, the PKK is still considered violent in Turkey and Syria and is classified as a terrorist organization by numerous countries, including the entire European Union.
Germany : EUs country with the most PKK members living on its territory
In Germany, the PKK is considered the most powerful non-Islamist extremist foreign organization. It is monitored by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution and has been officially banned for 28 years. Nevertheless, there are always pro-Kurdish demonstrations in numerous German cities, where propaganda is carried out and new members are recruited. Ideologically, the Kurdish Workers’ Party is most comparable to left-wing extremist groups. The PKK’s most important goals include recognition of Kurdish identity and political and cultural autonomy.
Neither of the two parties to the conflict is prepared to negotiate on these demands at the present time. Instead, every spring Turkey launches a major offensive against the PKK, who in turn carries out attacks in Erdogan’s country. A cat-and-mouse game that could go on for years. A few years ago, Erdogan did try to negotiate with the Kurds – but stopped the effort because his voters turned against him.
Turkey plagued by conflict
It’s a development the Turkish president definitely can’t risk this year – because next year Turkey will elect a new head of state. That aside, Turkey is mired in an ongoing economic crisis and an ever-worsening recession. Not to mention the large refugee movement that has been ongoing since 2015: Turkey is the world’s largest host country and is struggling with its consequences, especially financially.
A representative survey conducted by Hacettepe University in Ankara on behalf of the CDU-affiliated Konrad Adenauer Foundation shows that the situation is increasingly affecting people’s well-being. According to the survey, 63 percent of young Turks between the ages of 15 and 24 said they did not have a positive outlook on the future, and 35 percent even marked “completely hopeless”. In addition, 72 percent of those surveyed said they would want to leave Turkey if the opportunity arose.
The president is therefore under pressure to act and is seeing the fight against the PKK as a glimmer of hope. In Turkey, the animosity towards the PKK weighs more heavily than the animosity towards the Turkish president. Erdogan gets mostly approval for his actions against the PKK, even from people who aren’t normally among his supporters.
But it is not only in his own country that Erdogan can count on tacit approval for his activities in northern Iraq – internationally, too, hardly anyone sides with the PKK.
Of course, this is also due to the fact that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party also carries out assassinations and is active in terrorism. But the whole thing has another dimension, because violence alone does not justify counter-violence and international acceptance of it. In Turkey’s case, however, two other aspects play a role.
Firstly Erdogan’s key mediating role in the Ukraine war. Turkey has been mediating between the two warring parties since day one of the Russian attack on Ukraine and has already brought the foreign ministers of both countries to his table.
However, Turkish diplomacy is not entirely altruistic in this regard, because Turkey is closely intertwined economically with Russia, but at the same time also belongs to the international defense alliance NATO.
Nevertheless Turkey has positioned itself wisely so far : the recent closure of Turkish airspace to Russian aircraft en route to Syria, for example, shows that Turkey is asserting its interests against Russia without being punished immediately.
Another self-interest behind this : Erdogan is very keen to establish his country as a strong medium-sized state and to expand its strategic and autonomous position. The Ukraine conflict offers him an ideal opportunity to do so. He can now show how well he can mediate between different parties and strengthen his relations with both sides. This also strengthens his foreign policy standing.
As a result, Turkey’s international standing is on the rise. Of course, if the peace treaty were eventually called the Istanbul Agreement, that would also be a great advantage for Erdogan.
The Osman Kavala case tarnishing Turkey’s image
Such a diplomatic success would also be good for the Turkish president’s global image. Because – and this brings us to the second aspect playing a role in the Turkish/PKK conflict – his leadership style is not exactly considered a prime example of democracy in action. Recently, there has been an increase in the persecution of political opponents, freedom of the press is being increasingly restricted, and the judiciary is full of Erdogan supporters who like to wave off human rights violations and give government critics the maximum penalty.
The latest example of Erdogan’s regime is just a few weeks old : human rights activist and cultural promoter Osman Kavala was sentenced to life in prison in connection with the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey – without any solid evidence of complicity. Although the sentence drew international criticism, Turkey is sticking to it.
But in the Kavala case, at least there were international reactions. The attacks on the PKK’s headquarters in northern Iraq, on the other hand, go largely uncommented upon. The main reason being, we’re all looking at the Ukraine war right now.
In 2020 alone, 25 wars and four armed conflicts took place simultaneously around the world. It is nearly impossible to address all of these horrific events at once.
Nevertheless, whenever violence is perpetrated, we should take a closer look at what the conflict is actually about. For most Turks and large parts of the world community, it is clear that Turkey only wants to ensure its own security in northern Iraq. Erdogan is very much concerned with diminishing the PKK’s ability to operate in Turkey and in its immediate neighbourhood. But other than that there’s sadly no interest of coordinating the repression attempts of PKK with Baghdad, although it would maybe give Turkey a real chance of defeating the claimed terrorist group. In addition it would make the offensive legal on Iraqi territory.
References
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/magazine/behind-the-barricades-of-turkeys-hidden-war.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61218241
By The European Institute for International Law and International Relations.
