What has raised expectations and caused this new optimism now? Four key groups have changed their views and attitudes about the Kurdish issue and how it should be solved. These groups are the Turkish state; the Turkish society, including the Kurds of Turkey; the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK); and the international community. For all of these groups, the key difference was in the way the Kurdish issue was defined. The official ideology had defined the Kurdish issue as one of terrorism and fought against it militarily. This was backed up by two other definitions: economic underdevelopment and tribal culture. Terrorism, separatism, underdevelopment and tribal culture became the codewords of the official state line on the Kurdish issue and led to iron-fist policies. Let's try to sum up how various groups have changed their positions.
The state: The founders of the Turkish Republic were aware of the reality of the Kurds. Atatürk had acknowledged their existence in the late 1910s and early 1920s. But after “Turkification policies” were put in place, the Kurds did not fit the project of a nation composed of “Muslim Turks” alone. The modern Turkish nation-state had practically no room for non-Turkish Muslims, such as Kurds, and non-Muslim minorities such as Greeks and Armenians. Today, the state accepts ethnic and religious pluralism as an essential reality of Turkish society. State officials, including Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ, admit that the Kurdish issue cannot be solved by military means alone.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's famous Diyarbakır speech in 2005 was a turning point in the Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) policy on the Kurdish issue in which he acknowledged the wrongs done to the Kurds in the name of national security. President Abdullah Gül called the Kurdish issue the most vital issue for Turkey and started rounds of talks with key stakeholders including the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and Democratic Society Party (DTP). The National Security Council (MGK) held several sessions on the issue, all agreeing on the urgency of the matter and the need to start a new process of national reconciliation. By launching a Kurdish television channel supported by public funds, the government has taken a bold step and received the blessings of many.
The Turkish public: Public opinion on the Kurdish issue is no longer hostage to ultra-nationalist discourse about exclusivist Turkishness and state-centrism. Everybody praises the benefits of a true culture of coexistence between Turks, Kurds and others. Most citizens of Turkey believe that Kurds should be recognized as an essential part of Turkish society and treated with respect, dignity and equality. This view is now shared across the society.
The PKK: As the terrorist wing of the leftist Kurdish movement, the PKK and its leadership also admit that they cannot serve the Kurds by fighting an endless and meaningless guerilla war. Ideology alone does not deliver. Plus, the PKK's political ideology was million miles away from the cultural and religious identity of the vast majority of Kurds, who are mostly traditional Sunni Muslims. Furthermore, the PKK has lost much of its international support and is no longer seen as a “freedom fighter” organization.
The international arena: Various states and agencies that had supported the PKK in the past no longer lend it their support because the international system needs an economically and politically strong Turkey. Neither Europeans nor Americans can afford to lose Turkey to ethnic tension, political chaos or economic crisis. From Iran and Iraq to the Caucasus, Turkey is needed as a strong player and partner. This was seen most vividly in the signing ceremony of the Nabucco energy project. Turkey's European Union process has also helped. By approving political and legal reforms, the AK Party government has alleviated some of the problems related to the Kurdish issue. In short, there are reasons for being optimistic about the Kurdish issue.
