Madison Miele

INR 2002
December 1st, 2015
Final Position Paper
Conflict between Russia and Turkey
In November of 2015, it was announced that Turkey had shot down a Russian military
plane. Because of this, the pilot of the plane was killed. The reason Turkey shot down the
Russian plane was that the plane had supposedly violated Turkish airspace, and other Russian
planes had done the same and had been warned to stop. Turkey provided evidence supporting
that the plane had entered Turkish airspace, but Russia gave evidence that the plane was still in
Syria when it was shot down. Russia asked Turkey to apologize, which Turkey steadfastly
refused to do. The two countries have a long history of tensions, and this event seems to have
increased these tensions to a breaking point. The United States needs to calm these tensions
before the two countries make things worse by launching more attacks.
As stated in the previously, Russia and Turkey have a long history of tension. The two
countries emerged almost simultaneously in the 12th century. The Ottoman empire, modern day
Turkey, rose quickly as a European power, and became a European super power by the 16th
century. Russia, however, grew to be a European power much more slowly. They did not become
a large European power until the 16th century. For the first several centuries, the two countries
did not have any direct ties or tensions to the other. That was until the 17th century when Russia
joined the Holy League Alliance with Poland and Habsburg Empire. This alliance took territory
from the Ottoman Empire, which began the tensions between Russia and Turkey (Titov, Russia
and Turkey: a long history of turbulent relations).
Under the rule of Catherine the Great, Russia took the northern part of the Black Sea.
This territory had been taken from the Ottoman Empire during the Russo-Turk War that lasted

from 1768-1774 (Russo-Turkish Wars | Russo-Turkish History). During this time, Crimea was
made independent from the Ottoman Empire. It would eventually be incorporated into the
Russian empire in 1783. The Russo-Turk War was the first time that the Ottoman empire lost any
Muslim subjects to a Christian state. The roots of tensions between Russia and Turkey can be
primarily traced back to the Russo-Turk War and the independence of Crimea. These tensions
over Crimea arose again when it was annexed in 2014 (Titov, Russia and Turkey: a long history
of turbulent relations).
After World War I, Russia became a socialist country, while Turkey was beginning to
progress towards secularist modernism. While tensions between the two countries had been high
over the past century, during the 1920s, relations between the two were fairly good and they even
settled many territorial disputes that had made those tensions worse. The relations between the
two were maintained until after World War II, when Russia decided that they wanted control over
the Turkish straits, Bosphorous and Dardanelles, as well as territory in eastern Turkey. This lead
into the United States involvement in ending communism, as well as the beginning of the Cold
War. It was during this time that Turkey decided that they would received U.S. support and join
NATO in 1952. Tensions between Russia and Turkey did not last for long this time. After Stalins
death in 1953, Russia apologized to Turkey and gave back the territories that they had claimed.
Thus began a good time in the relationship between the two countries. Economic ties were
solidified between the two. An undersea gas pipeline was built in 2003, and in 2014, Russian
tourists were the most to visit Turkey and Russia was Turkeys biggest importer (Titov, Russia
and Turkey: a long history of turbulent relations).
Tensions between the two began to rise again with the beginning of the Syrian Civil War.
Turkey has become a safe haven for approximately 1.7 million Syrian refugees. Ankaras

objective is to protect the rebel groups it is supporting in Syria particularly the Turkmen but
also Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated groups fighting Assad. (Titov, Russia and Turkey: a long
history of turbulent relations). For the first time in almost a half century, Russia and Turkey are
on opposite sides. The Kremlin sees radical Islam as a threat to its domestic security and the
international order. It supports Assad to stress the illegitimacy of regime change through popular
revolt or external pressure. (Titov, Russia and Turkey: a long history of turbulent relations).
Both Russia and Turkey play a major part in the Middle East, and tensions between the
two have been on the rise since they have openly clashed. These tensions came to a pinnacle
when Turkey shot down a Russian plane that supposedly flew into Turkish airspace in November
2015. Both countries have defended themselves, with Turkey saying that this had happened
before and Russia had been warned, and Russia saying that the plane never flew into Turkish
airspace and that no warning had been issued. Below is where the opposing countries say that the
pane flew.

Russia claims that the plane never entered Turkish airspace, but remained inside the
borders of Syria. Turkey, on the other hand, claims that the Russian plane flew over Turkey, even
when there had been already issued warning to Russia.
There are many ways that America go about this conflict between Turkey and Russia. The
first option is to stand back and not do anything. This would allow America to not get involved
in this conflict. It would also save American lives as troops would not be sent to end this conflict.
By standing back, America would also save money and there wouldnt be a chance to worsen
tensions between the United States and Russia. Based on the history between Russia and Turkey,
there is also a very good chance that this event will soon fizzle out, just like many other
problems that are numerous in the history between the two countries. If America chooses not get
involved at this time, there is always the chance to get involved at a later date as well. While
there are benefits to standing back, it could also dramatically increase the problem. The problem
could not fizzle out, but instead get worse. Russia could become aggressive in retaliation. As
Turkey borders Syria, this might make things in Syria worse if either Russia or Turkey becomes
increasingly violent towards each other. Not only could the violence get worse, but the worlds
opinion of the United States could get worse as well. Russia already views America as being
weaker, and if America doesnt get involved, then Russia could perceive that as being a sign of
submission.
The second policy that the United States could follow would be to send troops to Turkey.
This could counteract any thoughts that America is weak by showing strength and the
unwillingness to back down. This could also benefit what is currently going on in Syria, and
calm tensions and possible terrorism coming from ISIS. By sending troops, it is possible that the
conflict could be quickly resolved, with both Turkey and Russia backing off. America would also

be able to show Russia that they are not willing to back down and will get involved if the conflict
calls for it. This being said, there are many cons to sending troops to Turkey. The first is the
possible loss of America lives. While there is no guarantee that fighting will occur, there is
always a risk of loss of life when it comes to sending troops to another country. There would also
be a significant cost financially by sending troops. One of the major downsides to sending troops
would be that threat of war with Russia. Russia could see troops being sent to Turkey as the
United States threatening them, and that could end badly for both sides. The loss of life for both
the United States and Russia could be astronomical. The last downside to sending troops would
be the risk of relations with Russia and other countries. Russia and the United States dont have
the best relations, and the sending of troops to Turkey could further endanger those relations. Not
only could the relations between the Untied States and Russia be damaged, but also the relations
between the United States and other countries. Other countries could oppose the decision to send
troops, and that could drastically weaken relations between the United States and other major
powers of the world.
The third option for the United States is to give aid to Turkey in the event Russia decides
to retaliate. This would allow the United States to help without getting physically involved. This
would save American lives, as American troops would not need to be sent. The United States
would be able to show support to Turkey without risking any lives. By sending aid to Turkey,
America would also show that they are not willing to back down when there is a major conflict
in the world. One major downside to giving aid is the cost. By giving aid, either by monetary or
weapons, it would come at a rather hefty cost for America. This could also risk relations with
countries besides Russia, such as Israel. Israel might not like the idea that the United States is
giving money and weapons to another country so close to them. There is also the chance that the

tensions between Russia and the United States will soar if America gives aid to Turkey, which
could potentially be very bad for America. The last disadvantage is that any weapons could fall
into the wrong hands and be misused, which needs to be avoided at all costs.
The last option for the Untied States is to approach an ally of Russia and ask them to talk
to Russia about ending the current conflict. America could offer financial support for these
countries in return. A benefit of this would be that no American troops would need to be sent in
order to end the tensions. Also, America would more than likely be able to avoid conflict
between Russia and possibly Turkey. The conflict between Russia and Turkey could also be
quickly and peacefully settled this way. This option also gives the possibility of America making
a new ally in the country that they approach. There is also the possibility that Russian and United
States relations could increase. One downside to this is the money that could be lost when
America offers financial support to the country, even though that could be the only way to
persuade the country to help. There is also a chance that it wouldnt work and the problem could
backfire. The problem could increase to a point that is worse, both between Russia and Turkey
and Russia and the United States. The current allies of the United States might not be happy with
it also. This could cause current allies to turn away from the United States. There is also the
possibility that the problem could escalate because of this strategy to a point where Russia is no
longer willing to talk about the conflict and acts irrationally.
Due to the options, the best course of action for the United States is the fourth option,
which is to approach a country that is currently allied with Russia. This is the best course of
action for America to resolve the conflict before it gets worse. This will prevent the loss of
America life because no troops will need to be sent in order to resolve the conflict. The United

States would be able to gain an ally by offering financial support in order for the country to
speak with Russia.
While this could be good, there is a possibility that it could backfire if the country
decides that they will take the money and not speak with Russia. Because of this, there should be
a contingency that in order for the country to receive the financial support, they must have a
diplomatic meeting with Russia. This will be the best way to ensure the conflict between Russia
and Turkey is resolved peacefully and quickly.
Overall, it is in Americas best interest to approach a Russian ally with financial gain to
speak with Russia about ending the conflict with Turkey. By looking at the history between the
two countries, it is highly likely that this conflict could resolve itself over time, but there is no
guarantee. There is also a strong chance that by going about this in a more diplomatic manor,
relations between the United States and Russia will be strengthened. By stepping in only slightly,
America can assist both countries without drastically putting relations with either Turkey or
Russia at risk.

Works Cited
Adelman, Jonathan. "So Why Are Russia and Turkey Feuding?" History News Network. N.p., 2
Dec. 2015. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.
"Russo-Turkish Wars | Russo-Turkish History." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia
Britannica, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.
Titov, Alexander. "Russia and Turkey: A Long History of Turbulent Relations." The
Conversation. N.p., 28 Nov. 2015. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.
"Turkey-Russia Row: A Brief History of Presidential War of Words - BBC News." BBC News.
N.p., 1 Dec. 2015. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.