A Secure Zone

It is obvious that there exist a number of insecure zones on the Turkish-Syrian border. A bloody conflict is going on right alongside Turkish territory, and one of the belligerents is the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The militants of this brutal organization are, at least for now, on the Syrian side of the border; but on the Turkish side, there are people who would like to help those in Syria who are trying to stop ISIL's progress. In addition, some people claim that Turkish territory is being used for pro-ISIL activities as well, as a transit point for Islamist militants or weapons.
ISIL has progressed too fast and too easily, partly because of the lack of unity between those who fight against it. They now portray, of course, the image of fighting together against the common enemy, but their political expectations are divergent -- and sometimes completely opposite. In other words, no one can guarantee that tomorrow they won't start fighting each other.
By the way, the Syrian regime is still a security threat for the region. In theory, ISIL is against the regime in Damascus, and the organization is now attacking those who had relatively good relations with the regime up until now. It is not in vain that Turkey keeps telling the Syrian Kurds to take a clearer position against Bashar al-Assad. If they choose to maintain their ties with Damascus, Turkey will continue to consider them a security problem. The paradox is that if they decide to burn their bridges with Damascus, forces loyal to Assad may try to attack them, pulling Assad's army toward the Turkish border. That will be another security problem.
As if all of this wasn't complicated enough, Turkey has to deal with a terrible refugee crisis as well. The number of Syrians who have crossed the border is so high that Turkey is having difficulties taking care of them properly. Moreover, no one is able to tell when these people will feel that it is safe to return home. With the anti-ISIL coalition's bombardments, the ongoing armed conflict between ISIL and the Kurds and the growing number of refugee camps, the lives of the people close to the border area have become unbearable.
Turkey is proposing the establishment of a “secure zone” at the border, in order to deal more easily with this complex situation. Practical questions remain unanswered, though: Who will make sure that the secure zone will indeed be secure? Or, who will remove from that region those groups that are now fighting right across the border? In other words, in order to establish the secure zone, one will have to fight those who are currently creating insecurity there. All these necessitate military measures, obviously.
Will the coalition send a multinational force to establish the secure zone, using Turkish territory as a route? If the Syrian government approves the presence of international troops in Syrian territory, everything will be legal according to international law. But what if Damascus refuses on principle to have foreign forces deployed in its territories?
This seems like an impasse. Turkey needs an ISIL-free buffer zone close to its borders because of understandable security concerns, but it is really hard to do this in reality. As in many other issues, Russia holds the key: if the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopts a resolution allowing the implementation of such a secure zone inside Syrian territory, there will be no violation of international law and no one will need approval from Damascus. If this happens, Russia will suddenly become the main player who cared about Turkey's security. Isn't it normally NATO's duty to provide security for Turkey?
Turkey is the one asking for a secure zone, but the debate and the diplomatic bargaining about whether or not to have it is going on between the great powers. This is only one of many examples where individuals' security and well-being depend heavily on a few world leaders and their strategic decisions.

BERİL DEDEOĞLU (Cihan/Today's Zaman)