Description
Since about the 1990s the “Kurdish political space” has undergone a transformation that moved from the centers of each national state to a transnational realm. This has both implied new intra-Kurdish dynamics and acquired a more geopolitical dimension in the wider Middle East. More recently, the emergence of a Kurdish autonomous region in Syria has represented a watershed for the current security subtleties.
Within this context, it is no doubt that Turkey represents one of the states that has mostly affected and been affected by the evolutionary phases of this reality. On the one hand, the collapse of the “democratic opening” of the early 2010s has led to a return to a domestic securitization of the Kurdish question. On the other hand, the emergence of different Kurdish actors as potential “game changers” along a regional turmoil has assumed a more significant role in the eyes of Ankara’s geopolitical competition with other powers.
Existing literature offers valuable insights but often views these dynamics from singular internal or external perspectives. This paper aims to bridge that gap by examining the interplay between Turkish Foreign Policy and the Kurdish issue, identifying consistent elements and changes in their mutual influence.
Turkey's current approach may seem like a return to its traditional stance on the Kurdish question. However, this study posits that Ankara has adopted a nuanced securitization strategy influenced by both domestic and external factors. Relying on Putnam’s Two-level Game theory and supported by empirical data from diverse interviews, we show that Turkish policymakers balance domestic and international considerations within the region's unique dynamics.
