Turkey’s Policy toward Iraq since the First Gulf War a Power Balancing Approach

Following the Gulf War of 1991, Turkey became increasingly involved in Iraq, driven by a mixture of threat perception, ethno-sectarian links, and economic interests, which, in certain order, have led to its emphasis on maintaining the Iraqi territorial unity; preserving a degree of sectarian power balance in the governing body in Baghdad by saving the Sunni minority from marginalization or domination by the Shia majority; protecting the Turkmen minority; accessing energy resources and market; and, more recently, establishing a military-security foothold inside the country as its stake in the game of regional balance of power. In pursuit of these objectives in Iraq, Ankara constantly played a game of power balancing as its modus operandi in dealing with the country’s two governments: Kurdish regional government in the north and the central government in Baghdad by continually aligning with one side to counter the side that posed threats to one or more of Turkish objectives in the country.