Separatist Terrorism in the First Century of The Republic: Historical Process, Actors and Changing Dynamics

Abstract

This study examines the separatist and separatist terrorist movements that the Republic of Turkey has faced in the first hundred years since its foundation in historical, social, political, and security contexts. In the early period of the Republic, the multi-identity structure inherited from the Ottoman Empire led to various reactions against the centralist and secular nation-state understanding; the Sheikh Said, Ağrı, and Dersim rebellions in this process were considered as uprisings targeting not only internal security but also the legitimacy of the Republic.

In addition to military methods, the state also employed legal and administrative mechanisms against these threats. Tools such as the Takrir-i Sükûn Law and Independence Courts were used to establish public order. During the Cold War period, ideologically diverse terrorist organizations emerged; ethnically based Kurdish separatism, radical leftist movements, and Armenian terrorism necessitated the state to develop a multi-faceted security approach.

In this process, the PKK became the most organized and long-lasting terrorist threat Turkey has ever faced. The armed actions it launched in 1984 caused radical changes in Turkey’s internal security policies; the organization carried out simultaneous terrorist activities in rural and urban centers. Turkey has developed multifaceted counter-terrorism strategies against this threat through military operations, intelligence-based point interventions, development projects (GAP), and international cooperation.

Since the 2000s, digitalization and global media opportunities have transformed the propaganda tools of terrorist organizations, and cross-border threats have come to the fore with the rise of the PKK’s PYD/YPG in Syria. Turkey responded to these developments with operations such as Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch, and Peace Spring. Moreover, with the coup attempt of FETÖ/PDY in 2016, Turkey faced another type of terrorist organization.

This study comprehensively analyzes the evolution of Turkey’s security policies by addressing all these processes through qualitative content analysis and historical comparisons. The importance of the study stems from the fact that it reveals that the fight against terrorism should be addressed not only through military means, but also through its social, political, and diplomatic dimensions. As a result, the fight against separatist terrorism in the Republic's first century is analyzed as a multidimensional state reflex, not just a suppressive one.

Keywords: Separatist Terror, Separatist Movements, PKK, Republican Era Security Policies.