The Analysis of Turkish-Armenian Conflict Related to the 1915 Events And The Success of Civil Society Initiatives in the Conflict Resolution Through Realistic Conflict Theory

The enactment of the Relocation and Resolution Law on April 24, 1915, which corresponds to the disintegration period of the Ottoman Empire, and the events that occured during the relocation of the Armenians according to the law and that is known as the 1915 Events have been an issue of conflict between Turkey and Armenia. This conflict does not only affect bilateral relations between Turkey and Armenia, but it also has impact on the international relations of Turkey in the general sense. Because of this reason, the conlict related to the 1915 Events constitute a must-be-solved problem for Turkish foreign policy. Based on this recognition, there have been various civil society initiatives and efforts in order to solve the problem; however, currently it is impossible to say that these initiatives have ended up with success. The aim of this article is to answer to the questions that why these initiatives are not enough to solve the problem and that what can be done for the future success of such initiatives. The theoretical framework of the article is constructed on realistic conflict theory. According to realistic conflict theory, intergroup conflict is the result of incompatible group interests and goals. Competition between groups on limited resources leads to intergroup conflict. In addition to pointing out the roots of intergroup conflict, realistic conflict theory also reveals the effective means of conflict resolution. Accordingly, cooperation to achieve higher goals has the potential to reduce intergroup disagreement over time and create positive relations between members of collaborating groups. At the end of the analysis based on this theoretical framework, it is concluded that the main reason behind Turkish-Armenian conflict related to the 1915 Events is conflicting aims and interests of two sides regarding how the 1915 Events must be described. In this situation, the success of the one side in reaching its interest means the failure of the other side. In addition to this, it is concluded in the study that introduction of the superordinate goals is necessary but not sufficient for the success of civil society initiatives. It is argued it the study that in addition to the introduction of the superordinate golas, government support is a precondition for the success. The government support has key importance in the success of the civil socity initiatives in such a sensitive issue. In the absence of this support, the civil society initiatives are faced with the problem of legitimacy and foundation. It is for this reason that the civil society initiatives regarding this conflict should be supported continiously; that rather than political openings introduced from time to time there should be a process which is less incentive in terms of content but continious in terms of duration.

Keywords

1915 Events, Turkish-Armenian Conflict, Civil Society, Realistic Conflict Theory