Hot Issues: Geostrategic Studies Team
The Syrian Turkmen have played a central role in exacerbating Arab-Kurdish tensions by adopting an inflammatory rhetoric within Arab communities, aiming to portray the Kurds as separatists threatening Syria’s unity. This strategy was neither spontaneous nor purely local; rather, it was part of a broader Turkish agenda that sought to use the Turkmen as a tool to establish dominance over northern Syria. Through policies of Turkification and systematic mobilization, the Turkish-backed Turkmen factions helped Ankara extend its influence, ultimately marginalizing both the Arab and Kurdish populations in favor of Turkish expansionist ambitions.
Inciting Arab Public Opinion Against the Kurds
With direct Turkish support, the Turkmen worked to instill fear among Arab Sunnis regarding the Kurdish presence. They propagated the narrative that Kurds were pursuing separatism and seeking to establish an independent entity, despite the fact that most Kurdish political movements merely advocated for federalism or decentralization within Syria rather than outright secession. However, the Turkmen-driven propaganda, amplified by Turkish-backed militias and media channels, succeeded in fueling hostility between Arabs and Kurds, worsening existing divisions.
Turning Northwestern Syria into a Turkish-Controlled Zone
Beyond propaganda, the Turkmen played a crucial role in implementing profound demographic and political changes in northwestern Syria, particularly in areas west of the Euphrates such as Afrin, Al-Bab, and Jarabulus. Their actions, backed by the Turkish military, included:
1. Demographic Engineering:
Forcibly displacing the original Kurdish population, especially in Afrin.
Resettling Turkmen families and pro-Turkish groups in these areas.
2. Enforcing Turkish Language and Culture:
Introducing the Turkish language in education instead of Arabic and Kurdish.
Replacing Syrian town and village names with Turkish ones.
3. Strengthening the Turkmen Military and Political Presence:
Increasing the influence of Turkmen factions within the Syrian opposition and local administrations.
Marginalizing non-Turkish-aligned Arab groups in favor of Turkmen militias.
Advancing the Turkish Project at the Expense of Local Communities
While Turkmen factions received unwavering support from Ankara, Arab Sunnis in the region found themselves increasingly sidelined, subjected to policies that primarily served Turkey’s regional ambitions. Rather than supporting the Syrian people's aspirations for liberation from tyranny, Turkey turned these areas into strongholds for its expansionist project, using the Turkmen as its primary instrument.
Conclusion
The negative role played by Syrian Turkmen in fragmenting Syria’s social fabric cannot be separated from Turkey’s broader geopolitical objectives. By fueling Arab-Kurdish hostilities and spreading accusations of Kurdish separatism, the Turkmen contributed to deepening divisions while simultaneously facilitating Turkey’s occupation of northwestern Syria. This process has not only displaced Kurdish and Arab communities but has also transformed the region into a platform for Ankara’s long-term influence, ensuring that Syrian sovereignty and stability remain elusive.
