As Syrian domestic conflict has culminated, the key issue is the impact of the Arabian country’s crisis on the neighboring countries and even the entire Middle East which may cause irreparable damages to them, damages which can be unmanageable by the governments and national players.
A PhD graduate in international relations from American University, Washington, D.C. in 1963, Mr. Hermidas Bavand is currently the faculty member of Law and Political Science School of Tehran University. Followings are excerpts from his comment on Syrian crisis and the issue of the Kurds
“In my view, uprisings in the Arabian countries led to different social-political results. From one hand, revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt achieved positive outcomes, while on the other, people’s rebellion against the regimes for example in Yemen and Bahrain and their objectives were selective and not totally desirable.”
“Regarding Syria, I believe all countries involved in Syrian domestic conflict pursue their own interests. By supporting popular movements, Turkey wants to be the especial player of the region in resolving the crises. But Saudi Arabia’s efforts are aimed to disintegrate the Shiite alliance of Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.”
“Due to its close relation with Syria, Iran is sensitive to the clashes underway in this Arabian republic. Many believe Syria is a bridge connecting Iran to the Arab world. Iran's ideological-political ties with combatant Palestinian groups including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah justify its sensitivity to the issue, although Hamas and Islamic Jihad have changed their attitude toward Syria because they feel a development in Syria is about to happen.”
“Recently we saw Assad gave an unprecedented freedom to the Syrian Kurds. As a matter of fact, Syrian government knows that the dissatisfaction of minority groups could add fuel to the internal crisis and it can not fight concurrently in different fronts.”
“This new measure has caused the protest of Turkish administration which is in conflict with Kurdistan’s Workers Party (PKK). Syria wants to show that the strategy Turkey has adopted in defending Syrian opposition groups will face Turks with a new round of problems with the Kurds. Earlier, the base of the PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan was in Syria, but after the negotiations Turkish government held their Syrian counterparts, he was forced to leave Syria, but the branch of PKK in Syria is still active and able to influence the crisis.”
“The Achile’s heel of Turkey is the issue of the Kurds who comprise 20% of Turkey's population. The actions taken by Turkish government to improve the condition of the Kurds have been sectional, unable to satisfy them. From one hand, Turkey tries to develop the economic situation of its Kurdish regions and has someway recognized their culture and language, but on the other, uses military force against them which may damage Turkey's human rights record in the international scene of politics.”