Turkey and the Kurdish Question
Turkey and the Kurdish Question
Of course, between Makhno's Free Territory and Germany lay our mustachioed friend's Austria, Hungary, and the pro-British Western Ukraine. Still, one could never be too careful. What if, propped up by communist Germany's support, they dragged out their existence only to turn on Russia at Germany's communist party's behest during the next great war? That possibility nagged at me. I wanted to be extremely cautious with every single move right now. At the very least, Makhno had to remain firmly under our influence.
"Won't communist Germany back them from behind?"
"That is impossible. They are entirely dependent on us for weapons. They are separated from communist Germany as well. No one else pays the Free Territory any attention."
More precisely, the other great powers assumed we would eventually annex Ukraine. Britain had already tacitly acknowledged that Makhno fell within our sphere. In practice, Makhno's Free Territory was treated as a Russian free city.
So that was what Boris meant. They would slip into our sphere of influence the same way Poland had.
"Are they armed with our weapons?"
"Yes. We are supplying them in the same manner as we did Poland."
"Then that is fortunate."
At least they would not be able to pull any tricks on us later. If they ever tried to attack us with communist Germany's support, we would know immediately. We could crush them then, or even start laying the groundwork now. If they ever attempted something to unify internally against us, it would become troublesome. Of course, Makhno, who owed everything to our help, would never entertain such thoughts. He would not commit suicide. The only conceivable desire he might harbor would be to swallow the remaining pro-British half of Ukraine. If that happened, we would have to start the engine soon. If Makhno's Free Territory looked ready to collapse, it would be wise to stir up internal discord and draw them toward us. Provided, of course, that Makhno himself triggered something first.
"We are keeping constant watch on Makhno's side. Should anything occur, we can immediately co-opt the pro-Russian elements and intervene."
"Then that matter is settled. It seems you have quite a lot to say today."
Plenty of White Army officers were present. This was probably a military matter. Yes, they clearly had something else to discuss. While I continued to wield influence in the State Duma, I limited my direct involvement in economic affairs to mere approvals. If I were to intervene personally, it would be in diplomacy or military affairs. That was likely what they wished to address now. It would not be Japan. At the very least, they considered Russia an ally. They might even get their cheeks soundly slapped.
"It concerns the Kurdish issue."
"The Kurds?"
Why was the Kurdistan question suddenly surfacing? Well, I could roughly guess. The real question was what it had to do with us.
"The Kurds in Turkey are showing signs of seeking independence."
"Is that so."
Indeed. If Atatürk's Turkey had done things properly as in actual history, they would have dispatched provincial governors to the Kurdish regions that had only paid taxes during the Ottoman era. That would have bred resentment. In reality, that very grievance led the Kurds to establish a state in 1927—the Republic of Ararat or whatever it was called. This period was still marked by repeated restorationist and anti-secularist rebellions in Turkey. Even though we were supporting Turkey, the fact that they had lost more territory than in the original history was problematic. Moreover, the famous Greek population exchange never occurred. The Greeks who should have been exchanged were instead annexed by Russia as the Pontic Greek Republic. This meant Turkey was considerably weaker than in the original timeline. While Russia benefited from recovering Byzantine territories, Turkey's relative weakness could accelerate a Kurdish uprising. At least we were still supplying them with weapons.
Come to think of it, the Kurds' situation was pitiful as well. Especially Turkey's Kurds—they were victims of the victors of the First World War. The original victors had promised a Kurdish state, but the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres was replaced by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, and all mention of Kurdistan vanished. Hmm. But still—
"And how does this concern us?"
I had not demanded any Kurdish provisions in the new treaties. We had been summoned in a mercenary capacity and secured Constantinople with guarantees from the other powers, but the Pontic Greek matter was essentially a bilateral agreement between Turkey and ourselves. There was no reason for us to intervene in Kurdish affairs.
"Strictly speaking, no. Though I wish I could say that."
"There is something, then."
"A man named Ihsan Nuri Pasha of the Kurdish Jelali tribe has requested that Russia supply them with weapons."
Ihsan Nuri Pasha. He had been the defense minister of the state the Kurds established after breaking away from Turkey. There had been a separate president. At this point they had not yet achieved independence; they were still preparing to rise against Turkey. And now they were asking us for help?
"Hah. They want us—who are supporting Turkey—to arm those seeking independence from Turkey? Can we not simply ignore them?"
"Yes, but they have a pretext that makes outright refusal difficult."
What kind of pretext could they possibly have?
"What pretext?"
"They say that the true Saintess who united many republics into a federal state must support their independence."
I see. If you are not an imperialist monarch like the others, then you ought to help them—that was their argument. Since we had already supported China's Nationalist government, their request was understandable. Still, it was awkward to simply dismiss them with curses.
"Hah. How absurd."
"Indeed. This could become a problem, could it not?"
The Kurds' bid for independence would ultimately end in pitiful suppression. It was regrettable, but since I intended to keep Turkey alive for now, supporting them was out of the question. If the Kurds also gained independence, how much more territory would Turkey lose? Moreover, I had planned to call on Turkey as an ally during the Second World War. Weakening Turkey would be inconvenient.
"Hmm. This is truly troublesome."
"What if we used the pretext of promising Kurdish independence to annex Turkey right now?"
Ungern declared this boldly from his seat. No. No matter how one looked at it, that would not do. Not because I was Korean and felt any brotherly sentiment toward Turkey. Even if the Russian army had been modernized, Atatürk's Turkish forces had become demons fighting to defend their homeland. The Russian army had been in the same position. Would they truly want to fight such Turkish troops? Turkey was a theater into which Russia might sink into another quagmire. Considering the Pontic Greeks, we had already recovered some Byzantine lands. If we suddenly changed our tune and tried to swallow Turkey now that our situation had improved, we would only suffer indigestion.
"Atatürk is not a man to be underestimated. Furthermore, we cannot afford to make an enemy over the Kurds. If we had intended to devour Turkey, we would have done so during the last war."
The great powers had simply rejected the Kurds' appeals for international help, calling it Turkey's internal affair. It would be enough to bind Turkey to an international organization later and incorporate it into Russia's economic sphere.
"Even so, we cannot simply abandon the Kurds, can we?"
"No. The Duma understands Your Majesty's intentions. However, the fact that the Kurds invoked Your Majesty's name is the problem."
"Hmm."
I tapped the desk with my fingers, lost in thought. Ignoring the Kurds' request for support was not difficult, but how the international community would perceive it, and how Russia could turn the situation to its advantage—that was the real issue. The key point was that Turkey had to win. In the process, we must not support the Kurds while also avoiding any loss of authority on the world stage. We could not provide military support. No, wait.
"In the first place, the Kurdish regions are legitimately Turkish territory as the successor to the Ottomans, are they not?"
"Yes."
"Turkey attempted to control them by sending provincial officials, and the Kurds, displeased, rose up."
They had dispatched administrators to maintain control over the provinces, and the Kurds, no longer able to live as they pleased, grew resentful. From the Kurds' perspective, the Ottomans had made promises, so being suddenly told to obey after paying only taxes must have felt like an unprovoked slap. Having lived freely while paying taxes, they would naturally be furious when suddenly ordered to listen and face interference.
"Yes. But it is not so simple."
"No. Viewing it simply is problematic. The Kurds have their own sense of justice. Let me ask: at present, they are seeking material and military support, correct?"
Judging by their current state, the Kurds seemed to be rushing toward independence earlier than expected. Turkey's situation was worse than anticipated, so there must have been preparations beyond mere provincial officials.
"They are at least hoping for weapons."
It was pitiable, but Turkey had already lost part of its Byzantine lands because of us. If the Kurds tried to secede, Atatürk would light his eyes on fire and do everything in his power to prevent it. We could not pour cold water on that effort.
"Hmm."
"What if we offered mediation instead? Judging right and wrong."
Mediation. That was not a bad idea either. The Kurds seemed eager to ignite something immediately, which was also displeasing.
"No."
"Then where does Your Majesty's will lie?"
To keep Turkey attached to us, we had to side with Turkey here. Since the Kurds had requested our help, claiming to mediate an internal matter would be seen as interference in domestic affairs. That would be awkward.
"The Kurds' justice claims that the Saintess must help. But can a Saintess aid one side in a bloody armed struggle?"
A Saintess could not take sides in slaughter. Unless it was a true holy war involving Russia itself.
"Then—"
"Let us do this. Provide only medical support."
If one was a Saintess, healing was the specialty. Therefore, I intended to dispatch medical personnel in anticipation of casualties from both sides. Thanks to the Red-White Civil War, Russia now had plenty of medical staff—enough had been trained after forcibly conscripted soldiers were killed by their own comrades. They were perfect to send. Time to live up to the Saintess name.
"Will that suffice?"
"Turkey must remain our ally. If we are to fight together in the next world war, we cannot afford to expend strength over the Kurdish issue."
"The next world war?"
For a moment, the State Duma members fell deathly silent. Ah. That remark had been premature. Even if others might not react, saying such things in front of the entire White Army leadership—people who had lived through the civil war—was sensitive. It did not seem a war on the scale of the Great War would break out anyway. After all, only Germany and Italy existed. Germany had not even absorbed Austria. With Poland blocking their path, and Britain, France, Austria, and Russia surrounding them, those two nations would likely collapse quickly. America might not even need to intervene at a scale that would matter. Later someone might say, "We are disappointed in the Tsarina!" So I waved my hand dismissively.
"Ah, the war. Yes. The final war against those German communist bastards someday. Do not misunderstand."
If they believed that, I would be the one saddened.