Relations between Syria, Turkey and Iraq are becoming increasingly tense. Conflicts between countries have already led to the death of many people, and in the future may even serve as a cause of war. The already unpleasant situation is further complicated by the interference of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the politics of these three states.
The confrontation between Turkey and Syria began many years ago. Relatively recent crises include the conflict that occurred in 1998. Then Syria and Turkey were on the brink of war due to the fact that the leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party was granted refuge in Damascus. Unfortunately, the Kurdish problem was never resolved in the end. At the moment, representatives of this people live in southeastern Turkey, western Iraq and northeastern Syria. Their desire to achieve independence and create their own state sharply worsened relations between these three countries.
The main problem is that Turkey, unlike its neighbors, is very determined towards the Kurds and intends to achieve their complete assimilation with the Turks or destruction. Syria, on the contrary, is preventing this, and Iraq even provided the Kurds with its own base, from which, according to the Turkish government, the PKK is conducting its military operations. In August 2012, the Turkish government even accused the Kurds from Syria and Iraq of carrying out the attacks. Hillary Clinton openly supported Turkey's position and even expressed her readiness to help "deal with the Syrian problem."
Another conflict erupted between Turkey and Syria, when in 2011 Syrian refugees, fleeing government repression, rushed to a neighboring state. At first, the Turks provided humanitarian assistance to the refugees, but when it turned out that several areas of Syria were under the rule of the Kurds, Turkey changed its position, and its government even announced the possibility of military intervention in the internal politics of Syria.
Relations between Turkey and Iraq are also not developing in the best way. In April 2012, the conflict was highlighted when Nuri el-Maliki, the prime minister of Iraq, officially declared Turkey an enemy. Earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan allowed himself to make more restrained, albeit not very pleasant comments about the Iraqi government, but he did not make such loud statements. To emphasize their position, the Iraqi authorities have stopped the supply of oil to Turkey. And, finally, the situation is further complicated by the fact that it is the problems in Iraq that do not allow the Turkish government to transfer its troops and launch an open military offensive in Syria.
