“Ultimately, concessions from both Iraq and Turkey to grant the Kurds some form of autonomy are the only solution with any hope of long-term harmony. Implementing such a plan, however, will likely have to wait for calmer days.”
The US administration is facing a major fallout with Anakara as the Turkish military moves into the initial stages of operations in the northern Syrian city of Afrin. Dubbed operation “Olive Branch,” (ironically) the goal of the Turks is to dislodge the Kurdish militant group People’s Protection Units (YPG) from the area.
It was just a few weeks ago, Turkey warned the United States that the country would be forced to act militarily against Kurdish fighters if the US continued to supply the YPG and other groups with weapons and other support. “We emphasized that such a step was very wrong,” Turkey’s deputy prime minister and government spokesman Bekir Bozdag said. “Turkey has reached the limits of its patience. Nobody should expect Turkey to show more patience.”
Bozdag’s heavy-handed words came following an announcement by defense officials that the US would provide funding to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are led by the Kurdish YPG militia in the area, in order to set up a 30,000-strong border force. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson responded to Turkish concerns by stating that the force is not meant to threaten Turkey but only to “ensure that local elements are providing security to liberated areas.”
The current schism between Ankara and Washington is not an isolated incident, but rather the culmination of years of tension over US policy toward the Kurdish people and the role they play in the region. For the US, the Kurds have been both a geopolitical asset and liability.
The Kurds are located smack in the middle of the biggest ongoing conflicts in the region, occupying the territory where Iraq, Turkey, and Syria meet. The national aspirations of the Kurds have pitted them against regional powers for a long time. Over the past several years, as the US and its Western allies seek to create order in this chaotic area, the question has been how exactly to relate to these stateless peoples caught in the center of the storm.
The Kurds have proven to be invaluable assets to the US in the fight against extremist elements in both Iraq and Syria. They are reliable and efficient fighters. This is no doubt due in large part to the fact that they have a real stake in the outcome of the fight, as groups like ISIS pose a direct threat to their “homeland.” Major battles of the coalition—such the campaign to liberate Mosul in Iraq—for the Kurds meant dislodging ISIS from their backyard. Kurdish units have provided vital assistance to coalition efforts in Syria, most notably in the recent liberation of the ISIS capital city, Raqqa.
Considering this track record, it is no wonder why the US sees the Kurds as a valuable element in the long-term stability of the Levant. The problem is what to do about Kurdish interests coming into sharp conflict with other US partners in the region.
Turkey is not the only country that has been edgy about America’s support of the Kurds. When Iraqi Kurds held an independence referendum last September, it threw the Iraqi government into a frenzy. The US was quick to announce its opposition to the Kurds establishing their own state in northern Iraq. A month later, Iraqi and Kurdish forces, officially in an alliance fighting the Islamic State, clashed in the city of Kirkuk after the Iraqi army attempted to dislodge Kurdish fighters from their posts in the city. Once again the US was forced to step in to prevent any escalation.
What is unique about Turkey is that during the entire coalition effort to destroy ISIS, the government has actually been engaged in all-out war against Kurdish groups in the country’s south. Turkey having to work with the Kurds as a partner in their common fight against the Islamists was a bizarre situation to say the least.
Shifting back to American interests, the current situation is one with no easy answers for the administration. Turkey is officially a NATO member state, and the US is actively supporting groups that Ankara considers terrorist organizations. While officials have bashed Turkey’s actions in Afrin, it is doubtful whether they can do more than that.
For now, the US must sit on the sidelines while diplomats scramble to come up with a solution that will both placate Turkey and keep the Kurds in play as the valuable partner they are. Ultimately, concessions from both Iraq and Turkey to grant the Kurds some form of autonomy are the only solution with any hope of long-term harmony. Implementing such a plan, however, will likely have to wait for calmer days.
