Topic:
Country: Turkey
Delegate Name: Elleah Berger
Delegate: Elleah Berger
Country: Turkiye
Committee: SPECPOL
Topic: Determining the Legitimacy of Secession Movements
The geopolitical world is ever changing with the rise and fall of countries, changes in borders, and regional wars. One factor that contributes to this ever changing nature is secession movements. These movements often rise with the good intentions of improving their condition and gaining self determination, but the journey to becoming a stable state is most often riddled with political strife, warfare, and many other struggles, and often ends much worse than it started. Military conflicts related to secession cause thousands to die every year, and many of them are civilians who had nothing to do with the secession, and were just caught in the crossfire. Poverty, disease, and famine are other detrimental consequences faced by innocent civilians during secession movements. The success of a secession movement is not a well defined term, but sometimes a new state is assumed when the seceded state receives recognition from preexisting states and countries and is treated as such. However, the lack of clear definition creates problems for the parties involved in a secession movement and disrupts international peace as a whole. In the interest of protecting international peace and the lives of civilians, it is critical that we as United Nations members clearly define the legitimacies and success of secession movements.
Turkiye was not a nation born from a secession movement, but was formed from the broken pieces of the Ottoman Empire after World War I. However, Turkiye has been dealing with secession movements led by the Kurdish people of Turkey and nearby countries. The Kurds themselves are split between those who desire secession and those who do not. Many enjoy their lives and wish for the continuous conflict to end. Turkiye believes that it would be better for the security and stability of the Kurdish people and the region if the Kurdish people did not secede, but remained in their respective countries of origin. Already this conflict has caused much strife in the Middle East, but has also brought Turkiye and neighboring countries into conflicts with the United States. The United States does not truly wish for the stability and prosperity of this region, but to have control over it and access to its precious resources. And so, the United States continues to stir up conflict in this region and aid in the division of its people.
Turkiye believes that oftentimes there is legitimacy in a secession movement, but that even more often than not the movement is sparked by a larger world power who is trying to gain power from the surrounding countries and project its influence upon the newly formed, struggling state. Turkiye believes that if a movement has developed solely on its own accord, if the people calling for the movement have been oppressed or mistreated in some terrible way by the country they are currently under, or if the people have no safe haven and are at great risk of extinction there could be legitimacy in the movement and that it should be considered peacefully by the countries involved. Many of these issues are often able to be resolved peacefully without creating a new state and dealing with the destructive aftermath that so often follows. Turkiye is interested in working with other Middle Eastern countries in defining this loose term and determining the legitimacy of secession movements, but is open to working with any countries. Turkiye would prefer to not work with the United States and other prominent NATO nations, but is willing to if necessary.
