turkey's accession to the eu - the benefits from a counter terrorism perspective - by miriam...

8/3/2019 Turkey's Accession to the EU - The Benefits From a Counter Terrorism Perspective - By Miriam Awadallah

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Turkeys Accession to the EuropeanUnion: The Benefits from a

Counterterrorism Perspective

by Miriam Awadallah

Intern Transatlantic Security

October 2011


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The European Union has been in negotiations over the admission

of Turkey into the organization since the nation submitted its

application for full membership twenty-four years ago. A number of

issues have arisen over the question of whether or not Turkey fulfills

the criteria of a nation suited to be a member of the EU, and these

span from whether Turkey can be classified as European or rather,

Western, given its location and cultural background, to various

domestic issues within Turkey such as the protection of human rights.

In addition, there are several European leaders who are apprehensive

about EU enlargement and have expressed an unwillingness to admit

additional states into the union. These concerns have fueled a heated

debate on the issue of Turkeys accession to the EU. Yet Turkey has

several important contributions that it can bring to the organization in

the areas of security and counterterrorism. This owes to its strategic

location in Asia Minor, as the nation serves as a connection between

Europe and the Middle East; its cultural heritage; and its experience in

dealing with homegrown terrorism. Turkey and the EU have both been

the victims of terrorist activities, and the two have much to gain from

partnering to combat the growing threat of international terrorism.


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I. A Brief History of Turkish-Western Relations

Europe and Turkey share a long history of cooperation,

stretching back to the era of the Ottoman Empire, when the Turks

provided military assistance to the French and helped them defeat the

Habsburg Monarchy. As a result of their contributions to the French

campaign, a lasting cultural and political tie developed that still thrives

to this day.1 The twentieth century marked the beginning of the

institutionalization of the Turkish-European relationship, with Turkey

joining a number of European organizations, beginning with the

European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1963. In 1987, Turkey

applied for membership for the first time to the European Unions

predecessor, the European Community (EC), but was rejected due to

the fact that the Community was occupied with the integration of its

newest members: Spain, Portugal and Greece. The Turkish

government did not let this preliminary rejection dissuade it from

pursuing integration with Europe, so it continued to cooperate with the

West through various other institutions. In 2005, the European Union

finally began accession talks with Turkey, showing its strong

commitment to eventual Turkish membership in the Union and its

appreciation for the assets Turkey would bring to the institution. The

1 Rana Deep Islam,The Accession of Turkey to the European Union:Security Implications for Transatlantic Relations, DIAS-Analyse: 6, accessedOctober 17, 2011, http://www.dias-online.org/fileadmin/templates/downloads/DIAS_Analysen/Analyse29.pdf


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two have experienced severalups and downsin their relationship,

but the institutional bonds that developed cemented an important

relationship between Europe and Turkey.2

Turkey has historically played a strategically important role for

both the United States and Europe, beginning immediately after the

Cold War in the case of the US. The Truman Doctrine was a huge step

forward in terms of the West ensuring the security of Turkey in order

to prevent it from falling into the Soviet sphere of influence, as it

pledged American economic and military aid to the nation. The United

States did not perceive Turkey as solely useful for maintaining

European security, but rather has a greater asset in strengthening US

influence in the Middle East in general; after World War I, the US

began to develop stronger interests in the oil-abundant region. A

strong partnership with Turkey meant that the US would gain the

ability to foster closer relationships with various other Middle Eastern

nations. Turkey entered the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO)

the first military assistance organization in the region, along with

Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, and the United Kingdom granting the US

greater access to Turkish military facilities. In addition, Turkey proved

its strategic importance during the Cold War by permitting the US to

install Jupiter nuclear missiles around the city of Izmir, a symbolically

2 Ibid, 8.


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friendlier policies and positions toward the West. Turkeys accession to

the EU would afford the same benefits to the organization.4

Within the NATO framework, Turkey has made significant

contributions to various NATO missions, specifically in Afghanistan.

Unlike Western nations, Turkey possesses a unique soft power in the

Middle East and Afghanistan that can aid the West in achieving its

goals. This owes to Turkeys cultural and historical background as a

great Muslim power, which has afforded it the ability to develop a

unique partnership with countries in the region. The Afghan people

trust the Turks in general due to several unique aspects of the Turkish

nation, including the fact that they do not share a border with Turkey,

and that Turkey has never expressed any imperialistic goals toward

Afghanistan as many other nations have in the past.5 The soft power

that Turkey has over Afghanistan applies to other Middle Eastern

nations as well.

4 Jennifer Guo,Turkeys Accession to the EU: A Mutually AdvantageousFuture,Carlton Review of International Affairs 1 (2009): 60, accessedOctober 17, 2011, http://assets.panda.org/downloads/jhaider_carleton_review_of_international_affairs_volume1.pdf5 Ayedmir Erman,How Turkey Can Help out NATO in Afghanistan,TheChristian Science Monitor, February 9, 2011, accessed October 11, 2011,http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/0209/How-Turkey-can-help-NATO-in-Afghanistan


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II. Turkeys Role in the War on Terror

Modern terrorism is an extremely attractive form of asymmetric

warfare, as it is an inexpensive and very efficient means used to

achieve social, political, and strategic goals. As a result, terrorist

activities have increased throughout the world in the post-World War

II era. It has become an unfortunate part of the international security

environment, threatening each community and way of life, and

terrorist organizations have been able to use modern technology such

as the Internet to spread their propaganda on an unparalleled scale.6

The terrorism plaguing the international community today is

characterized by both an ideological and theological fanaticism that

preaches hatred ofones enemy, and terrorist organizations that have

adopted this ideology have created a truly deadly threat to their

enemies through their combined use of modern warfare,

communications, and transportation to launch their attacks. This

threatens not only the spread and promotion of democracy globally,

but also the health of national and international economic systems, the

civil rights of people, and the stability of the state. Terrorism has the

potential to destabilize the entire international system as we know it.

Therefore, in recent years, it has become necessary for states to

6 Inan Ozyildiz,Turkeys Vision of Combating Terrorism,Royal UnitedServices Institute (2009);1, accessed October 11, 2011,http://www.rusi.org/downloads/assets/Turkey_terrorism.pdf


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cooperate with one another and create strong counterterrorism policies

to combat this grave danger.7

Recently, in the post 9/11 era, Turkey has proven itself to be a

useful and necessary partner in the war against terrorism. Not only is

it in a strategic location, but it has committed itself to combating

terrorism in the region and globally. Turkey is one of the key countries

demanding the creation of an international alliance against global

terrorism, and it played a very active role in development of United

Nations Security Council resolution 1373 an important piece of anti-

terrorism legislation which aimed to create barriers to the organization

and funding of terrorist activities.8 Indeed, Turkey has played an

active role in multilateral efforts to combat terrorism, putting its own

domestic experience with terrorism to good use. During the period of

2009-2010, Turkey assumed a non-permanent seat in the UN Security

Council and used it to push one of its main priorities: to develop

stronger counterterrorism efforts within the UN framework. The nation

has signed and ratified all twelve UN conventions on combating

terrorism and has continued to not only support, but also contribute to

the work of the UNs Counter-Terrorism Committee.9

7 Yonah Alexander,Some Perspectives on Turkeys Counter-TerrorismStrategy,Royal United Services Institute (2009): 4, accessed October 11,2011, http://www.rusi.org/downloads/assets/Turkey_terrorism.pdf8Islam, The Accession of Turkey to the European Union,616.9 Ozyildiz,Turkeys Vision of Combating Terrorism, 7.


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What makes Turkey a truly unique asset to the global fight

against terrorism is its experience in dealing with the many aspects of

terrorism. It has dealt with many groups, which have included extreme

left and right wing movements challenging the Turkish regime. The

international terrorist organization Al-Qaeda poses a real threat to

Turkey, just as the West is experiencing. Turkey is a nation composed

of a majority Muslim population with a democratic and secular society,

putting it at odds with the ideology of Al-Qaeda, which advocates a

pure Islamic state based on Sharia (Islamic) law. In 2003, Al-Qaeda

operatives attacked Turkeys largest city, Istanbul the deadliest and

most devastating attacks in Turkish history. Ever since these attacks,

Turkey has become vigilant about deterring Al-Qaeda and similar

groups from operating within its borders. What is important about

Turkeys position on fighting terrorist groups is that it makes no

distinction between these organizations, no matter what their goals

are or the ideology they espouse. It is the Turkish position that all

terrorist groups should be combated with equal determination and that

international cooperation can only intensify these efforts, making them

more successful.

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Not only is Turkey strategically important in the global fight

against terrorism, but it is an ideological asset as well. As mentioned

10 Yonah,Some Perspectives on Turkeys Counter-Terrorism Strategy,4.


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above, the majority of Turkeys population is Muslim, and it serves as

a model to other Middle Eastern nations due to the fact that it

possesses a secular constitution and a democratic form of government.

This is crucial to the spread and promotion of democracy throughout

the Middle East, as it disproves the common notion that Islam and

democracy are incompatible. Perhaps other Middle Eastern

governments will adopt Turkeys form of government as well, allowing

for greater cooperation with the West, thus diminishing the threat

posed by terrorism globally. Turkey possesses much stronger ties with

Middle Eastern nations such as Syria and Iran, which are generally

hostile toward the West. Conceivably, Turkey could utilize its ability to

foster close relationships with both the West and other Muslim nations

to forge deeper ties between the two and promote mutual cooperation

in the fight against terrorism.

III. Turkeys Homegrown Terrorism

Turkey understands the importance of a strong counterterrorism

policy as it has had to deal with a tremendous amount of terrorism

domestically due to the Kurdish issue.The Kurds are an ethnic group

that can be found in various parts of the Middle East, specifically in

Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. They trace their history back to as early as

2400 BC, when they inhabited the same land as they do today.


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Although they adopted the Islamic religion after the invasion of the

Arabs in the seventh century, they have maintained a distinct culture

from their Middle Eastern counterparts laying down the framework of

separatism that would plague them for centuries. When the Allied

powers redrew the borders of the Middle East after World War I and II

based on their interests, the Kurds were one of the many different

groups vying for their own autonomous state. They were denied one

due to the fact that the territory that comprises the Kurdish state lies

in the oil rich province of Mosul, which the British wanted to maintain

its control over. In addition, the Turkish government began limiting

the instruction or speaking of Kurdish in public places.11

In 1978, Abdullah calan formed the Kurdistan Workers Party

(PKK), claiming representation of all Kurds in order to establish an

autonomous Kurdish state and attain greater political rights for Kurds

in Turkey. This raised the larger issue of ethno-nationalism that

plagues Turkey today. The PKK epitomizes the greatest threat to

Turkeys security and can be best characterized as a member of a

wave of ethno-nationalist terrorism. The organization was founded as

a Marxist-Leninist one, and began terrorist operations in 1978 that

were divided into three different phases: strategic defense, strategic

11Brief History of Kurdistan, accessed October 17, 2011, http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~jlshupe/history.html?


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balance, and strategic attack.12 During the strategic defense phase,

which involved guerrilla activities and armed propaganda, the PKK

hoped to defeat the Turkish Armed Forces in South Eastern Turkey,

allowing for the attainment of their ultimate goal: a separate Kurdish

state. Between 1984 and 2008, the PKK conducted approximately

43,500 terrorist attacks in Turkey, killing 5,669 civilians, 4,967

members of the Turkish armed forces, 1,335 voluntary village guards,

and 217 police officers. Members of the civil service were targeted, as

they were perceived to be in league with the Turkish government. The

PKK believed this would weaken the Turkish state. 13

The PKK was never able to move past this first phase and this is

mostly due to Turkeys counterterrorism strategy. Turkey adopted a

State of Emergency, which allowed its armed forces to assume

responsibility for state security. The adoption of several strong pieces

of anti-terrorism legislation, which have been deemed controversial by

several international organizations due to potential human rights

violations, have allowed the Turkish government to combat terrorist

activities within its borders. What is important to note about the PKKs

activities and its general lack of success in Turkey is the fact that the

PKK is also operating in a number of European countries as well. An

12 Nihat Ali Ozcan,PKK Terrorism in Turkey,Royal United Service Institute,(2009):9, accessed October 17, 2011, http://www.rusi.org/downloads/assets/Turkey_terrorism.pdf13 Ibid, 10.


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elaborate network was set up in the 1990s, and it has been used to

transport terrorists from Turkey into European safe havens, on top of

running prostitution rings in order to raise the majority of funds to

finance the PKK. This led Turkey, representatives from EU member

states, and twelve Mediterranean partners to form the Euro-

Mediterranean Partnership in 1995 after meeting in Barcelona, Spain.

It is through this cooperation that Turkey and Europe are able to work

as a team to develop efficient strategies on how to handle and combat

this form of terrorism, which is becoming more widespread.14

IV. Relations with Hostile States

As mentioned above, Turkey maintains relations with a number

of Middle Eastern nations that the West considers hostile, specifically

Syria and Iran. Both Syria and Iran have promoted and supported

terrorist operations against Turkey; Iran has supported extremist

groups while Syria has supported activities of the PKK. This

relationship has been transformed over the years; neither Tehran nor

Damascus condone any form of terrorist activities in Turkey. They now

cooperate and even fight against these terrorist groups. Turkey used

to avoid involvement in the plethora of issues plaguing the Middle

East, but in the 1980s it recognized the importance of its geostrategic

14 Ibid, 10-11.


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position and the necessity of developing regional policies in accordance

with this position. Turkey has attempted to create strong relationships

with its neighbors and to cooperate with Iran and Syria in order to

alienate the PKK and other extremist organizations in the region.

In the case of Syria, the two nations have expanded security

cooperation and reached agreements on several issues, including

trade, tourism, and cultural cooperation, increasing their

interdependence and forging a stronger bond.15 Iran supported

terrorism in Turkey due to its revolutionary ideology that sprouted out

of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and thus supported the PKK with the

intention of destabilizing the regime and transforming Iran into the

regional leader. Unfortunately for the Islamic Republic, several

different factions of the PKK began operating in Iranian territory,

causing the plan to backfire. In 1992, a security agreement was signed

which established the Joint Security Committee, which meets every six

months and helps promote relations between the Turks and the Kurds.

It is this framework of cooperation between Turkey and both Syria and

Iran that would deliver a favorable and important contribution to the

European security strategy.

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15 Ihsan Bal,Turkish Foreign Policy towards Iran and Syria,Royal UnitedService Institute (2009): 13, accessed October 17, 2011, http://www.rusi.org/downloads/assets/Turkey_terrorism.pdf16 Ibid, 14.


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Turkish membership in the EU would also afford the latter to

access to the intelligence necessary to gain leverage over hostile

states. While the EU already cooperates with Turkey on

counterterrorism, full membership would lead to added benefits that

the union does not have access to at this point in time; intelligence

sharing being one of them. Not only do Iran and Syria possess nuclear

ambitions, but they have also been deemed state sponsors of terror by

funding various organizations such as Hezbollah, which is active in

Lebanon, and the Palestinian organization Hamas. Although both

nations have attempted to downplay their involvement with terrorist

organizations, citing humanitarian assistance in some cases, it is clear

that the two support the ideology and movement of these groups and

show their appreciation through donations.17 Their activities have

prevented the promotion of stability, peace, and democracy

throughout the Middle East and Central Asia, and have generally

harmed the health of the overall international system. As Turkey

maintains relations with these states, the EU can utilize this to gain

greater leverage over the two nations and deter their activities.

17Country Reports on Terrorism: 2008 Chapter 2. Country Reports: MiddleEast and North Africa Overview, prepared by the Office of the Coordinator forCounterterrorism, US Department of State (Washington, DC, 2009), http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2008/122433.htm


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V. Conclusion

Turkish membership into the European Union can only be viewed

as a positive from a security perspective. The threat of terrorism

rooted in an ideological and religious hatred for the West is rapidly

growing and there is a clear need to develop strong counterterrorism

policies that will defeat the various organizations that have sprung up

in recent years. Turkey is strategically important in the global fight

against terrorism, as it serves as a link between the European

continent and the Middle East. In addition, Turkeys experience in

dealing with terrorism domestically for over forty years proves that

Ankara would be a strong partner in dealing with the looming threat of

terrorist activity that hangs over Europe. To develop stronger policies

to fight terrorism, the EU needs a member such as Turkey, which

possesses both the experience and relationships needed to combat

terrorism globally.

turkey's accession to the eu - the benefits from a counter terrorism perspective - by miriam...

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