Why Is Turkey On The Target Of Terrorism

On the 10^th of December evening after a football match in Beşiktaş district of Istanbul-Turkey, bombing attack targeted Turkish Police Officers who were about to leave the stadium. According to Minister of Interior two bombs were exploded in succession, first was a car bombing and the second was a suicide one. Unfortunately 38 people killed; of which 30 are police officer, and 155 police officer and civilians wounded. One day national mourning is announced and Kurdish separatist terrorist organization PKK claimed the responsibility of bombing. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that he was about to fly Kazakhstan for an official visit to negotiate bilateral relations and Turkey’s possible membership to Shanghai Cooperation Organization, therefore the timing of bombings is very meaningful.

2016 is a very painful year and a turning point for Turkey. Although Turkey is struggling against PKK since 1984, for the first time PKK began to target Turkish targets and civilians in big cities such as Istanbul and Ankara by using suicide and car bombings. During 2016, 12 bombings in Turkish cities caused 317 dead and hundreds wounded. ISIS and PKK shared equally the bombing attacks. Istanbul targeted five times and Ankara targeted three times in this year. The first ISIS suicide bombing occurred on 6^th of January 2015 and skyrocketed in 2016 after Turkey targeted ISIS in Syria. By the way, military coup attempted by US backed FETÖ terrorists on 15^th July caused 240 dead, which is regarded as an US proxy attack.

In order to understand the reasons why Turkey is heavily targeted by terrorist groups a thick book should be written surely. Below I will only remark recent developments that occurred mostly last week and leave the deep assessment to readers:

1. Last month EU parliament suggested freezing the membership negotiations with Turkey. Erdoğan responded that Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a better option than EU, because no country in the organization interferes to the interior affairs of membership countries and mutual gains rather than unilateral impositions is the vision in SCO. Turkey will chair the Energy Club of Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2017, becoming the first non-SCO country to hold its term presidency.
2. After the coup attempt Turkey’s President Erdoğan visited Russia, Belarus, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. He was about to fly to Kazakhstan when the last bombings occurred. During his visits he loudly stated that Eurasia is rising and Turkey’s future lies in cooperation with Eurasian countries.
3. Nowadays EU and US portfolio investments leaving Turkish money markets as Turkey’s rating decreased by western rating companies. US Dollar flew up 21% since the coup attempt on 15^th of July. Turks regarded recent economic fluctuation as an economic attack to national economy. In response Turks, by the initiation of Erdoğan, began a campaign for non-dollarization. Households, companies and governmental institutions exchanged US dollar accounts to local currency in order to preserve Turkish Lira. 
4. Moreover Turkey offered Russia, China and Iran, important trade partners of Turkey, to trade in local currencies instead of US Dollar. On the 8^th of December Stratfor, known as the shadow of CIA, published an article and underlined that if other countries like Turkey choose not to use US Dollar in international trade, whole system can alter to non-dollarization. No doubt if US dollar loses its title as reserve currency, US hegemony shakes seriously.
5. Turkish Special Forces and moderate opponents blockaded Al-Bab that will end the dream to establish YPG Kurdish corridor in Northern Syria. Turkey clearly stated that the next target is Manbij which is currently under control of YPG.
6. On 9^th of December the ruling party (AK Party) and the opponent National Movement Party jointly proposed a constitutional amendment that will alter Turkish political system from parliamentary system to presidential one. In Turkey’s political history coalition governments do not work properly and constitutional amendments will provide a more stable and powerful political ground for Turkey.
7. Last week Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım visited Russia to extend the rapprochement between Turkey and Russia. Meanwhile Turkish stream that will carry Russian natural gas directly to Turkey is ratified by Erdoğan.
8. A recent opinion survey conducted by the A&G research company published on 11^th of December points out interesting results about the public opinion. Although Turkey is a NATO member, 83% of the Turks do not regard US as an ally while 61% do not regard EU as an ally. On the other hand with %66 Russia regarded as the first country for closer rapprochement instead of US and EU.

Turkey is heavily and jointly targeted by PKK, ISIS and FETÖ terrorist organizations during the whole year. The frequency and severity of the attacks increases as Turkey’s reallocation from western bloc to Eurasian one accelerates.

Due to terrorist attacks Turkish nation pays a very high price, but it must be known and understood by everyone that Turkish political leadership and public opinion jointly has the willpower to resist terroristic and economic attacks and the attacks do not weakens, but reinforces the national unity to pursue independent national and international policies. As a nation rooted to Central Asia’s steppes and struggled more than a thousand year against West, therefore accustomed to difficulties and outside threats, neither US’s nor EU’s attacks and impositions can block Turks’ destiny. Turkey will reallocate herself to great Eurasia and increase cooperation with its Slavic, Arabic and Persian neighbors in terms of politics, economic and culture and contribute to re-rising of great Eurasian civilization.