Title: Combating International Terrorism: Turkey’s Added Value
Author: James Ker-Lindsay and Alastair Came
Publisher: RUSI
Release date: 2009

Terrorism is commonly viewed as one of the greatest single threats to global security, with the tendency in recent years having been to portray such threat as stateless and globalised. While transnational in their reach and support-base, many terrorist networks continue however to exert violence based on national political objectives and/or regional agendas. Turkey’s long-running experience of dealing with PKK separatists, as well as wider fundamentalist terrorism, provides the country with valuable insight to be shared with European partners. Indeed, parallels of experience can be drawn with European attempts at countering both nationalist/separatist movements and global jihadist extremism.
In response to terrorist activity by Kurdish separatists, Turkey has carried out border operations in Northern Iraq since March 2008, attracting much attention in terms of how this would impact on regional stability. Yet, far less has been made of Turkey’s wider contribution to combating terrorism in terms of international peacekeeping, providing border security to the EU or even Turkey’s diplomatic engagements in the Middle East, such as with Syria and Iran.
Beyond national efforts, combating terrorism however also requires highly-coordinated mechanisms for cooperation between allies and partners. With terrorist groups finding refuge across borders or relying on illegal financial networks, Turkey would benefit from further international recognition and support towards its counter-terrorism activities. [1]