The New Approach to the Kurdish Issue in Turkey

Volume 6|Issue 33| Jul 2018 |Articles

Abstract

Following a return to armed conflict, the Turkish authorities abandoned, in 2015, a policy of political reconciliation with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The new approach is based on, first, the idea that no capable Kurdish negotiating partner exists for the Ankara authorities to negotiate with. Secondly, it is based on a full-scale military confrontation against the PKK and on weakening the Democratic Peoples' Party (HDP) through a variety of means. Thirdly, the new approach is based on an openness to alternative Kurdish groups to represent the Kurds in the future and is also based on strengthening the Kurdish conservatives. Despite the achievements of the AKP and the incumbent government in this regard, they continue to face on-the-ground challenges. This paper seeks to answer a set of questions: Can the HDP be weakened or lost in future parliamentary representation, or will it still represent a large segment of Kurds? Would support for the AKP's Kurdish allies be enough to allow them to negotiate on behalf of Turkey's Kurdish population? How feasible is the AKP government's present approach and how successful is it?  
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Emad Kaddorah

Head of the Editing department at the ACRPS. He holds a PhD in International Relations and Middle East Studies from Sakarya University in Turkey. He obtained a Master's degree in Defense and Strategic Studies from Pune University in India, and has worked as a researcher and senior editor at a number of research centers, including the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research in Abu Dhabi (1998-2012), and the Middle East Studies Center in Amman (1994-1997). His published works include Turkey: An Ambitious Strategy and Constrained Policy, a Geopolitical Approach(2015). His research interests focus on Geopolitics, International Relations and Turkish Studies.

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