The dismemberment anxiety and perception of Armenians in Turkish politics

TÜRKAY SALİM NEFES[1]

An insidious force lurks within Turkish politics, fostering negative perceptions of non-Muslim minorities and perpetuating a climate of anxiety and distrust. This force is none other than the Sevres syndrome, an enduring source of dismemberment-related fears that continues to shape the Turkish political landscape. My recent study attempts to shed light on the interplay between this syndrome and Turkish politicians' portrayal of Armenians in parliamentary debates spanning from 1983 to 2018.[2]

To begin with, the Sevres syndrome derives its name from the Treaty of Sevres, a pact signed between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies in 1920 at the conclusion of World War I. This treaty imposed onerous conditions, including the ceding of vast Ottoman territories to the Allies. However, the Turkish people's vehement opposition to this treaty ultimately led to the Turkish War of Independence (1919-1923) and the subsequent establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923. Thus, the Treaty of Sevres represents a deeply traumatic memory, symbolizing existential threats of dismemberment that resonate strongly within Turkey. The Sevres syndrome embodies the collective fear and anxiety regarding internal and external enemies’ intentions to gradually weaken and dismantle their nation. This ontological anxiety, deeply ingrained in Turkish society, has seeped into the fabric of political discourse and influences how Turkish parliamentarians perceive Armenians.

In my study, I analysed parliamentary speeches concerning Armenians over a span of three decades, uncovers three primary ways in which the dismemberment anxiety shapes the Turkish perception of Armenians in parliamentary discussions. First, parliamentarians often evoke a conflicted past with Armenians, asserting that they played a role in the dismemberment and collapse of the Ottoman Empire. For instance, in 2018, Kamil Aydın from the National Action Party (MHP) spoke of the Armenian collaboration with the enemies of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, citing specific instances of Armenian brutality inflicted upon the local population under the Russian army's protection.

Second, the spectre of the Sevres syndrome manifests as parliamentarians speculate that Armenians would seize any opportunity to dismember Turkey. Hilmi Biçer from the Nationalist Democracy Party (MDP), in a discussion on property ownership laws in 1984, voiced concerns about an Armenian individual masquerading as an Arab and purchasing a mansion on the Bosporus to transform it into a military stronghold. Similarly, Canan Arıtman from the Republican People's Party (CHP) raised alarm in 2009, highlighting that Armenians incorporate Mount Ağrı, a sacred symbol in Turkish culture, into their flags and state logo, implying territorial claims on Eastern Anatolia.

Lastly, Turkish politicians outright accuse Armenians of actively engaging in efforts to dismember Turkey. In a parliamentary speech in 1991, Necmettin Erbakan claimed that many Armenians had joined the PKK, a terrorist organization, not for the Kurdish problem but with the intention of dismembering Turkey. Bülent Ecevit, the leader of the Democratic Left Party (DSP), also asserted that the PKK maintained a base in Armenia and collaborated with Armenian militants.

The research underscores the profound impact of the Sevres syndrome on Turkish politics, wherein the perception of Armenians is heavily influenced by an ingrained narrative of enmity and a persistent Armenian desire to dismember Turkey. Consequently, this syndrome poses a formidable obstacle to the development of a peaceful Turkish-Armenian relationship, perpetuating an environment of distrust and casting the Turkish nation.