Soğuk Savaş ve Sonrası Dönemde Türkiye-Suriye İlişkileri

Suriye ve Türkiye, çeşitli kültürel ve tarihi bağlara ve hatta akrabalığa sahip iki komşu ülkedir. Bu bağlar, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nun topraklarını fethettiği 16. yüzyıldan imparatorluğun dağıldığı 20. yüzyıla kadar şekillenmiştir. 20. yüzyılın ortalarına doğru bağımsızlığını kazanan Suriye ile komşusu Türkiye arasındaki bu bağlar bazı sorunların önüne geçmeye yetmemiş, Hatay Sorunu ile ilişkiler ciddi anlamda gerilirken, su sorunu her şeyi daha da kötüleştirmiştir. İki ülke arasındaki en büyük gerilim ise Türkiye'nin onlarca yıldır uğraştığı terörizmle ilgilidir. Bu sorun nedeniyle iki devlet adeta birbiriyle savaşan halinde haline gelmiştir. Her şeye rağmen diplomasi sayesinde sorunlar aşılmış ve en az birkaç yıl sürecek bir barış ortamı sağlanmıştır. Ancak 2010'ların başında alevlenen Arap Baharı sonucundaki olaylarla birlikte başa dönülmüş, 10 yılı aşkın bir süredir iki devlet arasındaki ilişkiler her zamankinden daha kötü hale gelmiş, diplomatik ilişkiler ise kesilmiştir. Bu süre zarfında oluşan kitlesel mülteci akınları ve askeri operasyonlar nedeniyle orta vadede muhtemelen iyi ilişkiler kurulamayacaktır. Bu yazıda özellikle Soğuk Savaş koşulları ve sonrasında Suriye ile Türkiye arasındaki ilişkiler incelenmiştir. Özellikle su sorunu, terör problemi, 1990'ların sonunda yerini barışa bırakan potansiyel çatışma dönemi, Arap Baharı ve sonrasındaki süreç bu karmaşık ilişkiyi anlamak için ayrıntılı olarak ele alınmıştır. Arap Baharı ise günümüzü doğrudan ilgilendirdiği için diğerlerinden daha detaylı olarak irdelenmiştir. Arap Baharı ile ilgili olarak özellikle şu üç soruya dikkat çekilmiştir: Türkiye'nin geçmişten bugüne yaşanan olaylara bakış açısı nasıldır, yıllar geçtikçe Türk dış politikasında olaylara yönelik bir değişiklik olmuş mudur, Türkiye-Suriye ilişkileri son gelişmelerden nasıl etkilenmektedir?

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Türkiye, Suriye, Terör, Arap Baharı, Mülteciler

Türkiye-Syria Relations During Cold War and Post Cold War Period

Syria and Türkiye are two neighboring countries have various cultural and historical ties and even relatives. These ties were formed from the 16th century, when the Ottoman Empire conquered its territory, to the 20th century, when the empire broke up. These ties between Syria, which became independent towards the middle of the 20th century, and its neighbor Türkiye were not enough to prevent some problems. While relations with the Hatay Problem were seriously strained, the water problem made everything worse. The biggest tension between the two countries is related to terrorism that Türkiye has been dealing with for several decades. Because of this problem, the two states had come to a point where they were almost at war with each other. Despite everything, thanks to diplomacy, the problems were overcome and an atmosphere of peace that would last at least a few years was ensured. However, with the events of the early 2010s, it was returned to the beginning. For more than 10 years, relations between the two states are worse than ever, there are no diplomatic relations. Perhaps better relations will not be established in the medium term due to massive refugee flows and military operations. In this article, the relations between Syria and Türkiye, especially in the conditions of the Cold War and after, is examined. Particularly, the water problem, the terrorism issue, the potential clash being replaced by peace at the end of the 1990s, the Arab Spring and its aftermath period are analyzed in detail to understand this complex relation. The Arab Spring, on the other hand, is emphasized in more detail than the others, as it directly concerns our day. Regarding the Arab Spring, attention is drawn to the following three questions: What is Türkiye's perspective on events from past to present, has there been a change in Turkish foreign policy over the years, how are Türkiye-Syria relations affected by the latest developments?

Keywords:

Türkiye, Syria, Terror, Arab Spring, Refugees,

PDF

___

Adams, Simon. “Poison Gas and Diplomacy in Syria.” Security Challenges, vol. 10, no. 1, 2014, pp. 1–8. Akram, Sarah. “Turkey and the Arab Spring.” Strategic Studies, vol. 31, no. 3, 2011, pp. 23–31. Al-Azm, Sadik J. “Civil Society and the Arab Spring.” Is Islam Secularizable? Challenging Political and Religious Taboos, Gerlach Press, 2014, pp. 201–16.
Bakir, Ali Husain. The Determinants of the Turkish Position towards the Syrian Crisis: The Immediate Dimensions and Future Repercussions. Arab Center for Research & Policy Studies, 2011. BBC, Turkey says millions of migrants may head to EU, 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51707958 (Retrieved: 10.04.2023)
Becker, Carmen. “Strategies of Power Consolidation in Syria Under Bashar Al-Asad: Modernizing Control Over Resources.” The Arab Studies Journal, vol. 13/14, no. 2/1, 2005, pp. 65–91. Bengio, Ofra. “Turkey’s Kurdish Dilemmas.” The Kurds in a Volatile Middle East, Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, 2017, pp. 24–32.
Cohen, Ariel. “Turkey And Syria: Interactions With the US.” Obama’s Best Friend?: The Alarming Evolution of US-Turkish Relations, Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, 2013, pp. 37–39. D’Alema, Francesco. The Evolution of Turkey’s Syria Policy. Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), 2017. Dawisha, A. I. “Syria under Asad, 1970-78: The Centres of Power.” Government and Opposition, vol. 13, no. 3, 1978, pp. 341–54.
Dohrmann, Mark, and Robert Hatem. “The Impact of Hydro-Politics on the Relations of Turkey, Iraq, and Syria.” Middle East Journal, vol. 68, no. 4, 2014, pp. 567–83.
Entessar, Nader. The Iran-Syria Entente Cordiale. Arab Center for Research & Policy Studies, 2021. Gambhir, Harleen. ISIS’s Global Strategy: A Wargame. Institute for the Study of War, 2015. Gaub, Florence. Syrian Separation: Why Division Is Not the Answer. Federal Academy for Security Policy, 2016. Galvani, John. “The Baathi Revolution in Iraq.” MERIP Reports, no. 12, 1972, pp. 3–22. Gelvin, James L. “Demonstrating Communities in Post-Ottoman Syria.” The Journal of Interdisciplinary History, vol. 25, no. 1, 1994, pp. 23–44.
Gleick, Peter H. “Water, Drought, Climate Change, and Conflict in Syria.” Weather, Climate, and Society, vol. 6, no. 3, 2014, pp. 331–40.
Gorvett, Jon. “Mixing Water and Politics: Turkey, Syria and Iraq.” Insight Turkey, no. 20, 1998, pp. 33–38. Hale, William. “Turkey, the U.S., Russia, and the Syrian Civil War.” Insight Turkey, vol. 21, no. 4, 2019, pp. 25–40. Hayman, Tamir, and Yoel Guzansky. The Beginning of a New Era?: The Implications of Regional Détente. Institute for National Security Studies, 2023.
Holliday, Joseph. “The Assad Regime: From Counterinsurgency to Civil War”, Institute for the Study of War, 2013, pp. 1–69.
Kandil, Hazem, et al. “The Challenge of Restructuring: Syrian Foreign Policy.” The Foreign Policies of Arab States: The Challenge of Globalization, edited by Bahgat Korany and Ali E. Hillal Dessouki, American University in Cairo Press, 2008, pp. 421–56.
Kolars, John. “Defining The Political/Ecological Threshold for The Euphrates and Tigris Rivers.” Arab Studies Quarterly, vol. 22, no. 2, 2000, pp. 101–12.
Lenczowski, George. “Radical Regimes in Egypt, Syria, and Iraq: Some Comparative Observations on Ideologies and Practices.” The Journal of Politics, vol. 28, no. 1, 1966, pp. 29–56. Lindenstrauss, Gallia, and Eldad Shavit. Ankara Raises the Stakes: The Operation in Afrin and the Risk of a Clash with US Forces. Institute for National Security Studies, 2018. Lindenstrauss, Gallia, and Eldad Shavit. Turkey’s Offensive in Northeastern Syria: The Expected, the Surprising, and the Still Unknown. Institute for National Security Studies, 2019. Mahfudh, Aqeel. Syria and Turkey: A Turning Point or a Historical Bet? Arab Center for Research & Policy Studies, 2012.
Ma’oz, Moshe. Washington and Damascus: Between Confrontation and Cooperation. US Institute of Peace, 2005.
Marcus, Aliza. “Turkey’s PKK: Rise, Fall, Rise Again?” World Policy Journal, vol. 24, no. 1, 2007, pp. 75–84. Murinson, Alexander. “Turkey and the ‘Arab Spring.’” Turkish Foreign Policy in the Twenty-First Century, Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, 2012, pp. 16–23.
Orton, Kyle. “The Secular Foreign Fighters of the West in Syria.” Insight Turkey, vol. 20, no. 3, 2018, pp. 157–78. Rais, Faiza R. “Syria Under Bashar Al Assad: A Profile of Power.” Strategic Studies, vol. 24, no. 3, 2004, pp. 144–68. Salih, Cale. Turkey, The Kurds, and The Fight Against Islamic State. European Council on Foreign Relations, 2015. Scheumann, Waltina. “Conflicts on the Euphrates: An Analysis of Water and Non-water Issues.” Water in the Middle East: Potential for Conflicts and Prospects for Cooperation, 1st ed., Springer, 1998, pp. 113-136. Tann, Noa, and Madeline Flamik. Interstate Dam Disputes Threaten Global Security. American Security Project, 2018.
Williams, Paul. “Turkey’s H2O Diplomacy in the Middle East.” Security Dialogue, vol. 32, no. 1, 2001, pp. 27–40. Young, William, et al. “Spillover of the Syrian Conflict into Turkey.” Spillover from the Conflict in Syria: An Assessment of the Factors That Aid and Impede the Spread of Violence, RAND Corporation, 2014, pp. 15–24. Ziadeh, Radwan, and Asaad Alsaleh. “From The Damascus Spring to The Arab Spring: A Nonpersonal Story.” Voices of the Arab Spring: Personal Stories from the Arab Revolutions, Columbia University Press, 2015, pp. 230–33.