Grounds behind Insecurity in Border Areas of West Azerbaijan Province from the Viewpoint of Military-Security Geography

Among 16 border provinces of Iran West Azarbaijan is second only to Khuzestan Province in importance, since because of neighborliness with three important Middle Eastern and southern Caucasian countries, i.e. Turkey, Iraq, Republic of Azerbaijan (Nakhichevan Autonomous State), as well as its sensitive geopolitical and geo-strategic situation this province is the gateway toward Europe. The borderline of this province starts from the valley of Little Zab in Sardasht, neighboring Kurdistan of Iraq, and extends to Bour Alan (Dim Qeshlaq) in the northernmost border point of this province with Turkey. It is one of the most insecure borderlines in the country because of such factors as special geographic features (natural and manmade) such as arduous mountainous passageways and Kurdish communities. Various social, military and political implications such as cargo and fuel, alcoholic drinks, narcotics, arms and ammunitions smuggling coupled with military clashes with nationalistic Kurd insurgents, tribal-religious tensions and challenges between Turk and Kurd minorities are among the commonest grounds behind insecurity in this province.This research work has studied and analyzed various factors such as legal restrictions, geographical, economic and social injustice, lack of deserving and workable military-security strategies, inattention to the developments in Kurdish communities in Turkey and Iraq responsible for the increasing insecurity in the province and presented enforceable strategies and suggestions for establishing sustainable security and preventing ever-increasing border tensions in this province from military-security viewpoint.