By Diliman Abdulkader (post n “X”)
Turkey is a state that funds, arms and sponsors terrorist organizations across the Middle East through Islamists and in Europe through their Turkish terror group, Grey Wolves. The same terrorist sponsoring state interferes in the domestic issues of all its neighbors. Turkey has never brought peace or stability to either Europe or the Middle East. And Turkey is always the first to stand against any form of Kurdish autonomy.
In Europe, the West has normalized and accepted Turkey’s support for terrorism through NATO and EU talks, always turning a blind eye. On the Middle East, Turkey believes it’s the protectorate of Jerusalem. It conveys the message to the Muslim world that they are accepted by the West, so therefore everything should go through Turkey, no matter how extreme—Turkey will get it accepted by the West.
One example is the radical Islamists in Damascus. On the Kurds, Turkey is insecure in its national identity and very existence. Plain and simple. Today’s Turkey is the land of Greeks, Armenians, and Kurds. And today, there are over 30,000,000 Kurds in Turkey alone. If Kurds in Iraq have autonomy, and Kurds in Syria demand autonomy, then Turkey and Iran are next—that’s Turkey’s worst nightmare. But what Turkey doesn’t realize is that Kurds will never ask permission from Turkey on anything. Turkey needs the Kurds, not the other way around. Just like whenever convenient, Erdogan begs for the Kurdish vote. If Kurds want a decentralized Syria, then the Kurds will fight for it. Neither Turkey nor the terrorists it sponsors can stop that.
Diliman Abdulkader is an NRT English columnist and master’s degree student at American University’s School of International Service in Washington, DC. He is also a research fellow at the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET). Follow him on Twitter; @D_abdulkader
