Will Turkey Go To War?

This is the question on everyone's mind right now. The conflict between Syria and Turkey has escalated at an alarming rate this past week. On Wednesday, a Syrian shelling killed five Turkish civilians. On Thursday, the Turkish parliament passed a motion to allow cross border raids into Syria. And today President Erdogan stated that he does not seek war with Syria, but will not oppose it if the situation worsens. 

In June, the Syrian military downed a Turkish jet in free airspace. This triggered severe indignation from the Turks and promises of retaliation from Erdogan. This week's events have forced the president to move out from behind his veil of threats and take action against the Syrians. So, will Turkey go to war? The media says yes. The president says maybe. But the people, say no. 

The Arab Spring of 2011 revealed the true potential of social media in revolutions. In both Egypt and Libya we saw the youth of nations bound together by the common thread of liberation. The Turkish have also shown their prowess in this realm as a Facebook group brought 7,000 protestors together last night to rally against Erdogan's threats of war. The Republican People's Party (CHP) is the main opposition party of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP). The CHP have fiery, passionate support from youth all across the country and they have made their lividity known through rallies and demonstrations. As I took the bus back from Besiktas tonight, I witnessed several teenagers hanging strings of CHP flags across the street in a blatant display of anti-Erdogan angst. The youth have once again made their presence known. But is this all merely an excuse to resurrect the dormant contempt of the AKP? 

The alarmingly blunt press coverage of the conflict has led me to ask natives about the objectivity of the news and media. And just about everyone agrees that the government basically controls the media. The coverage released today is littered with headlines forecasting war (www.hurriyetdailynews.com) Many of the students at my university and the locals in Istanbul are far from fearful as they doubt anything will come of all the media ballyhoo. One student explained that, "The war threats between Turkey and Syria date back to the 50's and 60's. It has been half a century and nothing has come of it."  When I asked this same student about the threats of war, he dismissed them with unnerving assurance. It seems a common belief that that media is under the control of and heavily influenced by the AKP. So why would the media contribute to the hype? Why would the president's own party portray him in a way that only fuels the flame of rebellion? Why would the country react so critically if the prospect of war is so farfetched? 

What appeared to be vagueness on the part of Erdogan and the AKP is now an ambiguity with a myriad consequences. The conflict between parties dates back decades and the resentment between the Syrians, Turks and Kurds is entangled in a web of historical intricacies. A cloud of suspicion and unknowing surrounds the politics. Only one thing is for sure: the protests persist. The youth have raised their flags and voices. Something very real is happening and it will not go unchallenged. The tumultuous masses have been brought together through collective resentment of war. As Turkey sends soldiers across the border and engages the Syrians, only time will tell whether peace will be realized through civilized means or as Erdogan advocates, through violent measures: "We are not war-lovers, but we are not far from war either. The saying goes: 'prepare for war if you wish for peace.' So, war becomes the key for peace."

Protestors light flares in the street

CHP supporters  hang their party's flags