Elitlerin Etnik Kimlikleri Manipülasyonu: Suriye Örneği

Abstract

Elitler neden belirli etnik kimlikleri manipüle eder ve bu manipülasyon nasıl gerçekleşir? İlgili literatür elitlerin etnik kimlikleri kendi siyasal ve maddi çıkarlarını maksimize etmek için manipüle ettiğini iddia ederken, neden etnik kimliklerin seçildiğini ve manipülasyonun nasıl gerçekleştiğini yeterince açıklayamamaktadır. Bu çalışmada 2011 yılında barışçıl gösteriler olarak başlayan ve kısa bir süre sonra kanlı bir iç çatışmaya dönüşen Suriye iç savaşı örnek olay olarak incelenmiştir. Bu minvalde Suriyeli mülteciler ile yapılan mülakatlar ve incelenen ikincil kaynaklar sonucunda, Beşar Esad liderliğindeki rejimin iktidarını devam ettirebilmek adına, göstericileri ve muhalefeti bölmek amacıyla Sünnileri yalnızlaştırarak Alevi ve diğer azınlıkların kendi tarafına çekmeye çalıştığı anlaşılmıştır.

Keywords

• Elit Manipülasyonu
• Etnik Kimlikler
• Suriye İç Savaşı

Elite’s Manipulation of Ethnic Identities: The Case of Syria

Abstract

Why and how do elites manipulate certain ethnic identities? While scholars argue that elites manipulate ethnic identities to maximize their material interests, they insufficiently explain how this manipulation operates and why ethnic identities are selected. The case study for this research is the Syrian civil war, which started as a peaceful protest in 2011. The findings of this study, derived from the interviews conducted with Syrian refugees and secondary sources, suggest that the Assad regime in Syria manipulated the ethnic division between Sunnis and Alawites to divide the opposition and isolate the Sunni population from other minorities to maintain their rule in Syria.

Keywords

• Elite Manipulation
• Ethnic Identities
• Syrian Civil War

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