The fact that the group of 34, 26 of which came from Mahmur refugee camp in Northern Iraq and 8 from the PKK’s camps in the Kandil Mountains, returned to Turkey may well be a tactical maneuver. Yet, a terrorist group’s sending soldiers to the country it had ‘waged war’ on before has significant psychological implications.
The fact that as of 2009 the PKK has come to the same line as before when it sent a more limited number of its militants after Ocalan was captured demonstrates that Turkey has managed to isolate the terrorist group internationally by combining various dimensions of combating terrorism. The decision to return home should not be seen as a victory on the part of Turkey and a defeat on the part of the terrorist group, but as a win-win situation for both, deeming it a very significant step in a national issue.
By focusing on the root causes as much as consequences of combating terrorism and targeting the PKK’s propaganda infrastructure, Turkey has started to collect the fruits of its integral approach to the issue. When the President Gul said, “there are visible and invisible parts of an iceberg. The efforts put and activities directed towards the invisible part is far more important. All the interested state institutions have been at pains,” he was emphasizing that integral approach Turkey has rightly embraced. By initiating a democracy campaign with the EU accession process and trying to bring under its flag all its citizens as first-class citizens, Turkey has taken important steps to root out the causes of terrorism. In brief, the answer to the question why the PKK has taken that decision should be sought in the fact that Turkey has raised its standards of the rule of law and democracy thorough the EU accession process.
Besides, Turkey, which has raised those standards domestically, has managed to create a platform in international diplomacy to persuade its counterparts as well. The march towards more democracy has enabled Turkey to refute the oft-heard accusations against Turkey of ‘assimilation, discrimination, and torture’ against the Kurds. The fact that many countries that had not refrained from posing for the same picture with the PKK now align themselves with the Turkish position to the problem manifests the extent to which the domestic reforms have strengthened Turkey’s hand in the diplomatic arena. As Turkey has reduced to a minimum the civilian casualties in Northern Iraq during the military operations conducted against the terrorist bases, we observe that those days when Turkey tried to sweep its vices in combating terrorism under the carpet are long gone. Turkey’s persistence on solving the unsolved murder cases has been an index of Turkey’s will to stay within the limits of law in combating terrorism. The self-confidence a student who has studied his lesson in advance has in class can be seen in Turkish foreign policy as Turkish officials have been talking more forcefully in various international forums. Apparently, Turkey has contained the PKK’s propaganda arguments in its combat against the terrorist group.
The PKK’s symbolic decision to ‘return home’ can be regarded as an important consequence of Turkey’s visible and invisible efforts in combating terrorism. If Turkey shows determinacy in its policies to maintain its struggle this might actually hasten the process for militants to return home as they lose their hopes day by day. It is plainly clear that the process Turkey has been going through is tough and can be managed astutely only by powerful countries. To the extent that Turkey can create the environment to resolve the PKK problem based on its own will and blueprint it will be able to fulfill its historical responsibilities in its own backyard. What remains to be done in the process is unifying domestic forces for a more prosperous Turkey wherein all citizens can seek happiness.
*This piece penned by Ihsan Bal was first published in HABERTURK newspaper on October 20, 2009.
A Time Collapse in the Kurdish Problem
