Introduction to International Politics
Foreign Event Analysis
| Locale | ![[]](http://www.kvasaheim.com/flags/flag15-tr.png "Flag of Turkey") | Turkey |
|---|---|---|
| Title |
Turkey Bombs Rebel Targets in Iraq
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| Summary |
Days after Turkey’s Parliament voted to extend cross-border raids into Iraq for an additional year, Turkish jets bombed suspected Kurdish insurgents in the northern region of Iraq. Turkey and the outlawed Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) have engaged in conflict for over twenty years. The PKK is considered by the European Union and the U.S. as a terrorist organization. The tension between Turkey and Iraq’s border region is growing into military conflict.
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| Analysis |
During the past week alone 20 people have died because of attacks launched from rebel bases along the border. More than 40,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the fighting between since the PKK began its fight for a Kurdish homeland in south-eastern Turkey in 1984. There exists an apparent security dilemma in Turkey that their military felt provoked to retaliate. Seven-teen Turkish soldiers died in an ambush by militants at a border outpost last week and five citizens were killed on a machine gun attack on a police bus as well. Iraq Turkey’s sense of security as a state had been compromised by frequent and on-going cross-border attacks on its people, so their military was forced to resort to bombing Kurdish rebels.
As recent as last night, terrorist groups were caught trying to sneak through Turkey’s border from northern but a representative from the Turkish army stated that most of the insurgents were eliminated by the Air Force. Turkey was forced to use its military power in order to guarantee the security of its border and people. Despite both the U.S. and the European Union being supporters of the Turkish military, Turkey relied on their own state’s power in order to enforce safety. Turkey felt that diplomacy was not going to address the immediate conflict effecting Turkey’s people, thus military action ensued. Turkey was forced to rely on itself as a state using military force to preserve the security of its border and people.
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| Perspective |  | Realist |
| In-Region URL | ||
| Out-of-Region URL | ||
| Submitted | October 10, 2008 at 11:26 am | |
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