KEPENTINGAN TURKI MENOLAK HASIL REFERENDUM SUKU KURDI IRAK TAHUN 2014-2017

Abstract

This paper is a study of Turkey's interest in rejecting the outcome of the Iraqi Kurdish referendum 2014-2017, namely its political interests to the Kurds in Turkey or the Middle East not to follow suit as it will trigger an independent Kurdistan state that includes the territory of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria. Then the economic interests of Turkey, namely the need for petroleum, natural gas is dependent on Iraq. The largest producer of petroleum and natural gas in Iraq is in its northern region which is fully controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). During this time Iraqi Kurds sell their resources to Turkey. Referendums by Iraqi Kurds have the potential to disrupt the Turkish economy as Iraqi Kurds can sell their resources to more countries. Turkey's security interests, with a referendum by the Kurds, will undermine Turkey's domestic and foreign security stability because the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) will take advantage of this moment to get other Kurds to do the same. This security interest is related to politics in Turkey.
This paper uses the concept of National Interest in which Turkey directly acts by intervening in the Iraqi government to have the referendum canceled. Supported by foreign policy theory that leads to qualitative research methods as well as literature study as a source of information.
Some of Turkey's foreign policy related to the referendum is intervention to the Iraqi government and KRG, economic sanctions and military training with the Iraqi government.
KeyWords: Referendum, independence, Turkey, Iraq, PKK, KRG, National interests