Sèvres syndrome
The Sèvres syndrome (Turkish: Sevr sendromu), also referred to as Sèvres paranoia, refers to a popular belief in Turkey that dangerous internal and external enemies, especially the West, are "conspiring to weaken and carve up the Turkish Republic". The term originates from the Treaty of Sèvres of the 1920s, which partitioned the Ottoman Empire among Armenia, Greece, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy, leaving most of Anatolia under Turkish rule with a new capital in Ankara; however, it was never implemented since it was left unratified by the Ottoman Parliament and due to Turkish victory on all fronts during the subsequent Turkish War of Independence. Turkish 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". These forces were often identified within the country as ethnic or religious minorities – such as the Dönmeh – working as agents of foreign powers and attempting to hold back Turkey's rise.
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