Browsing by Subject "ISIS"
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Item Open Access The impact of 2003 us-led invasion on the rise of terrorism in Iraq(Bilkent University, 2016-06) Ağalday, BurakThe thesis argues that the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq has created the contributing factors for the rise of radicalism and the rise of violent organizations in Iraq. In this study, military and political aspects of the US practices in Iraq after the invasion are scrutinized to highlight the contributing factors that have led to radicalism and emergence of an alleged state, the ISIS, and violent organizations. The study illustrates how the US-led invasion for "War on Terror" has turned out to be a contributing factor for radicalism and terrorism. Firstly, the conditions that promote terrorism are highlighted depending on the large-N studies in the literature. Secondly, how the US political and military practices in Iraq have paved the way for these conditions are analyzed based on two indicators, namely political discrimination and seeking for revenge. In addition, the problem that how these two indicators influenced people’s decision to join the violent organizations is highlighted. As a result of this study, I find that the US involvement in Iraq in the name of "War on Terror" has contributed to the rise of terrorism.Item Open Access Turkey and the Kurdish Question: Last Exit before the Bridge(Brill Academic Publishers, 2016) Özpek, B. B.; Mutluer, O.The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government initiated a peace process with the Kurds in January 2013 to become the first government since 1984 to systematically negotiate with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) instead of using the military against them. Nevertheless, a bloody war restarted after AKP lost its majority in the parliament due to the Kurdish backed Peoples' Democratic Party's (HDP) success in the 7 June 2015 elections. In the coalition negotiation process, the AKP, which is under the strict control of Erdoǧan, did not make a serious offer to any of the opposition parties, and Erdoǧan did not mandate other parties to form a coalition government. Thus, holding a snap election remained the only option. Erdoǧan's strategy to attract the nationalist voters worked, and the AKP re-gained the overall majority in the parliament by receiving the nationalist votes again. Nevertheless, this was a Pyrrhic victory for the AKP. In addition to the domestic polarization, the new AKP government has needed to deal with the Kurdish Question, which has turned into armed conflict since the 7 June elections, along with re-formulating its relations with the allies of the PKK in Northern Syria and in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Furthermore, increasing activism in the ISIS issue and the "jet crisis" experienced with Russia seems to have complicated Turkey's foreign policy and compelled the AKP to revise its approach towards the Kurdish Question. © 2016 Copyright 2016 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.Item Open Access Understanding non-state actorhood: the case of the YPG(Bilkent University, 2021-08) Lõhmus, AliceAbstract: This thesis assesses the actorhood and agency of a violent non-state actor, the People’s Protection Unit (YPG), through Aydinli’s (2015, 2016) “Autonomy, Representation, Influence” (ARI) analytical and theoretical framework. The theory depicts the agency of this violent non-state actor (VNSA) via its aspects of “autonomy, representation and influence” between the 2014-2020 timeframe. This research shows how the YPG has transformed and continues to survive, despite threats to its actorhood from other VNSAs and states alike, while seeking to emphasize the increased autonomy, representation, and influence that the VNSA has had over the years. In doing so, it aims to also critique and provide suggestions to improve the ARI framework. This research also relies on supportive semi-structured interviews conducted with academicians, public officials, and politicians to analyze and gather insight on the YPG’s actorhood from experts on the field.Item Open Access What is the point about Sykes-Picot?(Routledge, 2016) Bilgin, P.The Sykes–Picot Agreement (1916) became (in)famous once again following a tweet announcing a propaganda video by the group that call themselves the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) declaring “the end of Sykes–Picot”. In this essay I suggest that the point about Sykes–Picot is not about the “artificiality” of borders in the Middle East (for all borders are artificial in different ways) or the way in which they were drawn (for almost all borders were agreed on by a few men, and seldom women, behind closed doors) but (also) that it was shaped by a discursive economy that allowed for the International Society to decide the fate of those that were deemed as not-yet capable of governing themselves. ISIS preoccupation with the “end of Sykes–Picot” is conditioned by the same discursive economy that it apparently seeks to resist.