Turkey’s Assistance to Iraq after 2014: Key Determinants and Components

In the 2010s amid the destabilization of the region and the outbreak of new armed conflicts the influence of the Republic of Turkey in the Arab world has significantly increased. The proclamation of the Islamic State in the neighbouring countries in the sphere of Turkey’s interest — Syria and Iraq — be...

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Main Author: A. I. Aliyeva
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Moscow University Press 2020-11-01
Series:Вестник Московского Университета. Серия XXV: Международные отношения и мировая политика
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Online Access:https://fmp.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/37
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author A. I. Aliyeva
author_facet A. I. Aliyeva
author_sort A. I. Aliyeva
collection DOAJ
description In the 2010s amid the destabilization of the region and the outbreak of new armed conflicts the influence of the Republic of Turkey in the Arab world has significantly increased. The proclamation of the Islamic State in the neighbouring countries in the sphere of Turkey’s interest — Syria and Iraq — became a kind of watershed. And whereas Ankara’s strategy in Syria has received substantial attention of researchers, its policy towards Iraq which included both military and non-military measures remains understudied. The paper aims to uncover the logic behind Turkey’s assistance to Iraq to counter territorial expansion of the Islamic State and to remedy the negative impact of its presence. The paper is divided into two sections. The first section focuses on the military-political interaction between the Republic of Turkey and Iraq after 2014. The second examines specifics of the Turkish non-military assistance to its neighbour. The author stresses that Ankara’s military support to Baghdad in the fight against ‘ISIS’ included expansion of the Turkish troops’ presence in Iraq and escalation of tensions with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. That has, in turn, led to the growing tension between Turkey and Iraq. As for the civilian assistance, Turkey has focused on its humanitarian dimension implementing relatively small projects — mainly in the areas populated by the Iraqi Turkomans. After declaring victory over the Islamic State, Ankara did not rush to increase the level of its grant assistance that remained relatively low. At the same time Turkey sought to create, particularly through tied loans, advantageous conditions to attract Turkish construction companies to the reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure in Iraq. Thus, the paper shows that during this internationalized internal conflict, as well as after its formal end, Turkey has tended to prioritize its national interests, aiming to strengthen its strategic and economic presence in the neighbouring country through a combination of military and non-military measures. However, a recent destabilization of the situation in Iraq poses new challenges to the Ankara’s strategy towards Iraq and highlights the need for further monitoring of the development of Turkish-Iraqi relations.
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spelling doaj-art-f3552c1b195f49f086e42b45b14fd45b2025-02-02T11:10:31ZengMoscow University PressВестник Московского Университета. Серия XXV: Международные отношения и мировая политика2076-74042020-11-0112112114910.48015/2076-7404-2020-12-1-121-14936Turkey’s Assistance to Iraq after 2014: Key Determinants and ComponentsA. I. Aliyeva0Lomonosov Moscow State UniversityIn the 2010s amid the destabilization of the region and the outbreak of new armed conflicts the influence of the Republic of Turkey in the Arab world has significantly increased. The proclamation of the Islamic State in the neighbouring countries in the sphere of Turkey’s interest — Syria and Iraq — became a kind of watershed. And whereas Ankara’s strategy in Syria has received substantial attention of researchers, its policy towards Iraq which included both military and non-military measures remains understudied. The paper aims to uncover the logic behind Turkey’s assistance to Iraq to counter territorial expansion of the Islamic State and to remedy the negative impact of its presence. The paper is divided into two sections. The first section focuses on the military-political interaction between the Republic of Turkey and Iraq after 2014. The second examines specifics of the Turkish non-military assistance to its neighbour. The author stresses that Ankara’s military support to Baghdad in the fight against ‘ISIS’ included expansion of the Turkish troops’ presence in Iraq and escalation of tensions with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. That has, in turn, led to the growing tension between Turkey and Iraq. As for the civilian assistance, Turkey has focused on its humanitarian dimension implementing relatively small projects — mainly in the areas populated by the Iraqi Turkomans. After declaring victory over the Islamic State, Ankara did not rush to increase the level of its grant assistance that remained relatively low. At the same time Turkey sought to create, particularly through tied loans, advantageous conditions to attract Turkish construction companies to the reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure in Iraq. Thus, the paper shows that during this internationalized internal conflict, as well as after its formal end, Turkey has tended to prioritize its national interests, aiming to strengthen its strategic and economic presence in the neighbouring country through a combination of military and non-military measures. However, a recent destabilization of the situation in Iraq poses new challenges to the Ankara’s strategy towards Iraq and highlights the need for further monitoring of the development of Turkish-Iraqi relations.https://fmp.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/37turkeyiraqthe islamic stateisiscounter-terrorisminternational development assistanceforeign aidhumanitarian aidpost-conflict reconstructionmilitary assistancesecurity assistancestate-buildingturkomans
spellingShingle A. I. Aliyeva
Turkey’s Assistance to Iraq after 2014: Key Determinants and Components
Вестник Московского Университета. Серия XXV: Международные отношения и мировая политика
turkey
iraq
the islamic state
isis
counter-terrorism
international development assistance
foreign aid
humanitarian aid
post-conflict reconstruction
military assistance
security assistance
state-building
turkomans
title Turkey’s Assistance to Iraq after 2014: Key Determinants and Components
title_full Turkey’s Assistance to Iraq after 2014: Key Determinants and Components
title_fullStr Turkey’s Assistance to Iraq after 2014: Key Determinants and Components
title_full_unstemmed Turkey’s Assistance to Iraq after 2014: Key Determinants and Components
title_short Turkey’s Assistance to Iraq after 2014: Key Determinants and Components
title_sort turkey s assistance to iraq after 2014 key determinants and components
topic turkey
iraq
the islamic state
isis
counter-terrorism
international development assistance
foreign aid
humanitarian aid
post-conflict reconstruction
military assistance
security assistance
state-building
turkomans
url https://fmp.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/37
work_keys_str_mv AT aialiyeva turkeysassistancetoiraqafter2014keydeterminantsandcomponents