Turkey’s war against the Kurds threatens to create turmoil both inside and outside the country

Turkey has carried out military operations against Islamic State (IS) and the Kurdish PKK following a suicide bombing in the Turkish town of Suruc in July 2015. Esra Özyürek writes that by targeting Kurdish guerrillas, the Turkish government is essentially undermining the only effective force that can combat IS. She argues that Turkey’s decision to attack Kurdish forces is directly linked to internal political developments within the country, and that the conflict threatens to damage the interests of both Kurds and Turks.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: HDP leader Yuksekdag: Turkey backs the 'Islamic State' http://www.europeansources.info/record/hdp-leader-yuksekdag-turkey-backs-the-islamic-state/

ESO: Background information: What to Make of Turkey’s New Counterterrorism Policy http://www.europeansources.info/record/what-to-make-of-turkeys-new-counterterrorism-policy/

ESO: Background information: Turkey polls loom as coalition talks collapse http://www.europeansources.info/record/turkey-polls-loom-as-coalition-talks-collapse-turkish-president-erdogan-announces-snap-general-election/

Hürriyet, 25.08.15: Peace calls must not exclude PKK (via Euro|Topics) http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/aehnliche/archiv_article/ARTICLE168629-Peace-calls-must-not-exclude-PKK

Today's Zaman: Tag: PKK http://www.todayszaman.com/index/pkk

Berliner Zeitung, 09.09.15: EU's silence on Turkey has fatal consequences (via Euro|Topics) http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/aehnliche/archiv_article/ARTICLE169431-EU-s-silence-on-Turkey-has-fatal-consequences

Cumhuriyet, 09.09.15: Hatred between Kurds and Turks revived (via Euro|Topics) http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/aehnliche/archiv_article/ARTICLE169443-Hatred-between-Kurds-and-Turks-revived

Today's Zaman, 09.09.15: Political leaders call for calm after protests turn violent http://www.todayszaman.com/national_political-leaders-call-for-calm-after-protests-turn-violent_398718.html

Sabah, 10.09.15: Nationalists benefit from chaos in Turkey (via Euro|Topics) http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/aehnliche/archiv_article/ARTICLE169532-Nationalists-benefit-from-chaos-in-Turkey

Today's Zaman, 10.09.15: Davutoğlu speaks out against declarations of autonomy, says Turkey is not Syria http://www.todayszaman.com/latest-news_davutoglu-speaks-out-against-declarations-of-autonomy-says-turkey-is-not-syria_398785.html

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