Tag Archives: PKK
My Comment: Why Erdoğan can not deliver what Turkey’s Kurds demand
The summary of the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) later performance under the iron grip of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calls for an analogy: Earlier stages of the AKP rule — until mid-2011 — meant that most of the necessary ingredients … Continue reading
Who did it? Tensions Grow over Murder of Kurdish Activists in Paris, as the Probe comes closer to Truth
Here is the story by Der Spiegel: The triple murders in January 2014 of Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) activists in Paris may ultimately emerge as one of the most audacious political killings to take place in Western Europe in years. … Continue reading
Chicken or egg?
The street battles which paralyzed İstanbul on May 1 were only a reminder of the bitter mood. The increasingly aggressive language in Parliament between parties, a deadlock in the talks within the Constitutional Reconciliation Commission, growing enmity between the ideological … Continue reading
Doors open for PKK pull-out
In a matter of 24 hours the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has killed three birds with one stone: It has made public a “wise men” commission to explain the “farewell to arms” talks to the entire country; it … Continue reading
Multi-frontal race: EU and the Kurds
The Kurdish peace process is a huge socio-political challenge and a race against time for the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, and its relations with the trouble-stricken EU are marked by frustration. Turkey’s staunchly reformist justice minister, Sadullah … Continue reading
Turkey’s Kurdish spring: historic day full of hope, doubts
On Thursday, as the spring festival Nevruz was celebrated in Diyarbakır, its historic significance was far beyond the typical joy of jumping over fires. For the Kurds of Turkey, it promises to go down in history as a … Continue reading
Uludere: Cover-up
Whichever vantage point one looks from, the draft report on Uludere incident borders on a fiasco. After a work that lasted what feels like forever (almost a year and a half) voting process, public presentation and all conclusions by the … Continue reading
Between the island, mountains and the capital
The release of eight Turkish public officials who had been held hostage for 19 months by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) came not only as a relief for their families but also is the most concrete step so far in … Continue reading