Recently, there has been a marked increase in news and commentary about Turkey’s security shortcomings along its borders with Iraq and Syria. These reports note that in the Syrian case, anyone can freely cross the border with vehicles and goods. 

Some commentators say this laxity, especially on the Syrian border, is a result of an intentional policy decision by the Justice and Development (AKP) government to support the Syrian opposition — that it is purely politically motivated. Such privileges allow Islamic State (IS) fighters and the Syrian opposition to freely cross back and forth between Syria and Turkey to procure their logistical needs. 

I suggest in this article that these political explanations may not be sufficient to fully explain Turkey’s security vulnerabilities on its Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian borders. We should acknowledge the fact that there is a glaring capacity deficiency at play. Turkey has 2,753 kilometers (1,711 miles) of land border; this includes 560 kilometers (348 miles) with Iran, 384 kilometers (239 miles) with Iraq and 911 kilometers (566 miles) with Syria. The average altitude of the Iraqi and Iranian borders is about 1,800 meters (5,905 feet), where tough topography and weather conditions severely impede border security and supervision. Along the Syrian border, the land is relatively flat, at a low altitude. 

The current state structure for border security in Turkey involves: