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The Securitization of the Syrian Refugee Crisis Through Political Party Discourses

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Abstract

The present study investigates major Turkish political party discourses about the Syrian refugees in Turkey based on parties’ manifestoes and pamphlets. The refugee problem increased nationalist feelings in Turkey specifically when the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, explained that the Syrians could be naturalized. To analyse this situation, we draw on theories on securitization and xenophobia. Political party discourses were analysed by Nvivo 11 software program. The results suggest that while the Justice and Development Party (AKP) uses historical–cultural and Islamic discourses, the CHP has an economic discourse. The MHP, the Turkish nationalist party, and the HDP, the Kurdish nationalist party, both deploy nationalist discourses. Members of the CHP claim that the Syrians are the source of major crimes and unemployment. The AKP adopts an Ensar–Muhacir (guest–host) discourse because of its Islamic approach to the refugees. Political parties in Turkey securitize the Syrian refugee crisis through their political discourses, which result in the rise of xenophobia in Turkey. The study suggests that political parties lead to the rise in anti-refugee attitude.

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Notes

  1. Peter Baker, Rise of Donald Trump Tracks Growing Debate Over Global Fascism, May 28, 2016, available on the New York Times website: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/world/europe/rise-of-donald-trump-tracks-growing-debate-over-global-fascism.html (accessed 17/08/2017).

  2. Michael R. Gordon and Eric Schmitt, Trump to Arm Syrian Kurds, Even as Turkey Strongly Objects

    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/09/us/politics/trump-kurds-syria-army.html (accessed 17/08/2017)

  3. http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/country.php?id=224

  4. Muhacir means migrant.

  5. For the numbers of Syrians under temporary protection, please refer to http://www.goc.gov.tr/icerik6/gecici-koruma_363_378_4713_icerik] as of August 2017 (accessed 17/08/2017).

  6. http://www.akparti.org.tr/upload/documents/1-kasim-secim-beyannamesi-rgb-rev-06-10-15.pdf

  7. Official website of the Presidency of Turkish Republic http://www.tccb.gov.tr/haberler/410/45574/suriyeli-kardeslerimize-vatandaslik-imkni-verecegiz.html (accessed 31/07/2017).

  8. Available at http://www.milliyet.com.tr/bakan-celik-temel-hak-ve-ozgurlukler-adana-yerelhaber-1958640/(Accessed 01.08.2017).

  9. Available at https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/25/world/europe/turkey-recep-tayyip-erdogan-migrants-european-union.html (Accessed 11.11.2018)

  10. HT, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu: Suriyeliler bütün düzenimizi bozacak, March 12, 2016, available on the Haberturk newspaper at the website http://www.haberturk.com/gundem/haber/1208609-kemal-kilicdaroglu-suriyeliler-butun-duzenimizi-bozacak (accessed 17/08/2017).

  11. Available at https://www.esgazete.com/siyaset/suriyelilere-degil-turklere-is-bulun-h20497.html (accessed on 17.08.2017).

  12. BBC, Erdoğan’dan Türkiye’deki Suriyelilere vatandaşlık açıklaması, 03 July 2016, available on the BBC at the website http://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler/2016/07/160703_erdogan_suriyeliler (accessed 17/08/2017).

  13. CHP, Seçim Beyannamesi, https://www.chp.org.tr/Public/0/Folder//52608.pdf (accessed 17/08/2017).

  14. BBC, Who are the Turkmen in Syria?, available on the BBC, at the website http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34910389 (viewed 27/02/2017).

  15. MHP, 09 January 2017, available on the MHP at the website https://www.mhp.org.tr/htmldocs/mhp/4198/mhp/Milliyetci_Hareket_Partisi_Genel_Baskan_Yardimcisi___Istanbul_Milletvekili_Sayin_Prof_Dr_E_Semih_YALCIN__in__MHP_Aleyhinde.html (accessed 17/08/2017).

  16. AA, an MHP leader criticises Erdoğan’s offer of citizenship to Syrians, 12 July 2016, available on the Hurriyet Daily News at the website, http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/mhp-leader-criticizes-erdogans-offer-of-citizenship-to-syrians-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=101500&NewsCatID=338 (accessed 17/08/2017).

  17. Devlet Bahceli, the speech of the MHP’s leader, Devlet Bahceli, on the Arab Spring and Ethnic Conflict in the region, 19 February 2013, available on the MHP website at https://www.mhp.org.tr/htmldocs/genel_baskan/konusma/2600/index.html (accessed 17/08/2017).

  18. Verda Özer, Erdoğan details dual citizenship for Syrians, 11 July 2016, available on the Hurriyet Daily News at the website http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/erdogan-details-dual-citizenship-for-syrians.aspx?pageID=238&nID=101428&NewsCatID=341 (accessed 17/08/2017)

  19. As noted in one Milliyet article on 06 July 2016: Mhp’den Suriyeli Mültecilere Vatandaşlık Eleştirisi, http://www.milliyet.com.tr/mhp-den-suriyeli-multecilere-vatandaslik-izmir-yerelhaber-1458945/ (accessed 17/08/2017).

  20. As noted in one hurriyetdailynews article on 26 April 2013: Tarhan Erdem, How many Kurds live in Turkey?, available on the Hurriyet Dailynews at the website http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/how-many-kurds-live-in-turkey-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=45644&NewsCatID=396 (accessed 17/08/2017).

  21. As noted in one bbcnews article on 14 March 2016, Who are the Kurds? available on the BBC at the website http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29702440 (accessed 17/08/2017).

  22. As noted in an Evrensel article on 07 November 2013. Evrensel, Halkın Direnişi Utanç Duvarını Durdurdu, available in the Evrensel newspaper at the website https://www.evrensel.net/haber/71533/nusaybinde-on-binler-utanc-duvarina-karsi-toplandi (accessed 17/08/2017).

  23. As noted in a Bianet article on 03October 2013, Ertugrul Kürkçü, Kürkçü: Suriye’de Laik, Çoğulcu, Çok Kimlikli Model İstiyoruz, available on the Bianet website http://bianet.org/bianet/siyaset/150385-kurkcu-suriye-de-laik-cogulcu-cok-kimlikli-model-istiyoruz (accessed 17/08/2017).

  24. Rudaw news website, MHP states that the Kurds of PYD-YPG should be excluded from Afrin and Sochi negotiations. http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/turkey/28112017 (accessed 08/02/2018)

  25. Sputniknews, housing will be provided for 3.5 million Syrians in their homeland https://tr.sputniknews.com/turkiye/201802031032091524-suriyeliler-kalici-konut/ (accessed 08/02/2018)

  26. Press conference of HDP Committee on the declaration of Rojava as the city of revolution and its second anniversary http://www.hdp.org.tr/tr/basin/basin-aciklamalari/hdp-myk-2-yilinda-rojava-devrimini-ve-koban%C3%AA-direnisini-selamliyoruz/4116 (accessed 08/02/2018)

  27. Rudaw news website, upon a question to Kurdish member of parliament whether HDP regards the passage of Rojava peshmergas to Rojava Kurdistan he replies as “it is no more Rojava Kurdistan but Northern Syrian Federation” http://www.rudaw.net/turkish/kurdistan/040320177 (accessed 08/02/2018)

  28. CHP Party Manifesto https://www.chp.org.tr/Public/0/Folder/52608.pdf (Accessed 13/02/2018)

  29. Kemal Kılıcdaroglu, Parti Konusması, 19 Kasım 2013 https://www.chp.org.tr/Haberler/36/19-kasim-2013-tarihli-tbmm-grup-konusmasi-947.aspx (accessed 16.02.2018)

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Gulmez, R. The Securitization of the Syrian Refugee Crisis Through Political Party Discourses. Int. Migration & Integration 20, 887–906 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-018-0637-2

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