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Sèvres syndrome is a term used by scholars in discussing the history of modern Turkey. It describes the impact of the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres on the formation and subsequent development of the Turkish state. In this treaty, the victorious powers sought the division of the former Ottoman heartland of Anatolia. The Treaty created an Armenian homeland in the east and added largely Greek-speaking parts of Thrace and the Aegean coast to Greece. Large swaths of the rest would have been under British, French, Italian or International control, including Constantinople and the Bosporous. The independent Turkish state that emerged would have been quite small. The perceived humiliation of this division of land provoked a Turkish uprising under Ataturk that led to the creation of modern Turkey. Sèvres syndrome describes the lingering impact of the threatened dismemberment of what Turks perceive as their rightful national territory. Discussions over challenges facing Turkey, the country’s domestic and foreign policy, vision of the state are taking place in Turkey’s different socio-political, scientific and analytical circles within the framework of which the fears and phobic perceptions of the Turkish public and political circles are being manifested. In that context the discussions over possible dismemberment of Turkey, violation of integrity and existence of such initiatives by external forces have intensified in different spheres. This phenomenon is referred to as the “Sèvres syndrome”, “Sèvresphobia” or “fear of dismemberment”. Such discussions on the state and social levels of Turkey are the result of complex perception of a number of existing issues which, in turn, give birth to conclusions based on worries and phobias and form psychological stereotypes. Historian Taner Akçam describes this attitude as an ongoing perception that "there are forces which continually seek to disperse and destroy us, and it is necessary to defend the state against this danger." Dietrich Jung describes it as "the perception of being encircled by enemies attempting the destruction of the Turkish state," and asserts that it remains a significant determinant of Turkish foreign policy. “Sèvres-phobia” phenomenon has seriously been fixed in the social and political life of Turkey. The contemporary discussions show that the conspiracy theories, the fear of territorial dismemberment exist not only among social but state and military circles. In particular, after the end of the Cold War the “Sèvres syndrome” has become up-to-dated in Turkey and in different discussions it was getting serious weight. And it had its explanation, as during the post-Cold War period, in 1990s, Turkey was perceiving itself as a country surrounded by hostile countries the goal of which was reaching territorial dismemberment of Turkey at any cost. The perception that both the countries of the West and the immediate neighbors of Turkey were taking steps toward its dismemberment was rooted in the circles of Turkish military-political authorities. The existence of the “Sèvres syndrome” in the socialpolitical circles of Turkey is agreed with two factors: first is its subjective contribution to the social and political consciousness of Turkey. This “fear was fixed” thanks to the continuous presentation by the Turkish military-political authorities which was giving an opportunity to keep the threat of dismemberment and elimination of the Turkish state viable with it making the social consciousness more oriented, ensure necessary consolidation. With it, it was becoming easier to ensure the public orientation in the necessary inner-political and foreign political processes through the formation of collective character of external enemy. The existence of a number of issues in Turkey in this case was explained through the conspiracy theories. Secondly, in spite 67 of the in some way artificial usage of “Sèvres-phobia” or the “threat of territorial dismemberment”, in both political and social environments of Turkey, there exists the imagination of permanent threat of dismemberment which as a complex stemming form a number of issues of the country and as a historic past is rooted in the social and political worldview. The fear of territorial dismemberment of Turkey presents from itself an alarm that may become a reality at any moment.http://bs-kavkaz.org/wpcontent/uploads/2013/01/Fears_Turkey.pdf.

References

1. Levon Hovsepyan, The Fears of Turkey. Manifestations of the “Sèvres Syndrome” in Turkey’s Socio-Political Discourse, Yerevan 2012 http://bs-kavkaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Fears_Turkey.pdf
2. Taner Akçam,"From Empire to Republic; Turkish Nationalism and the Armenian Genocide," Zoryan Institute, 2001, p. 230.
3. http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/archives_roll/2003_07-09/jung_sevres/jung_sevres.html

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• History of modern Turkey