Pragmatism is the main impetus behind Turkey’s decision to engage in a dialogue to resolve its Kurdish problem.
According to the current government's view, the two most important triggers for this pragmatism are the developments in Syria, and the great expectations of Turkish public opinion to end the conflict with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). These expectations are higher than ever before.
It was probably this domestic pressure that convinced Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to resume negotiations with the jailed PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan. The confidence with which the PM said, "We will certainly meet with Ocalan," was rooted in this pragmatism.
But, will public opinion change the government approach to dealing with this problem? My answer would be, “No.”
The meeting with Ocalan was hastily labeled as "negotiations" in the media, giving the impression that it was a consultation step. That means there are no defined terms of "negotiations."
In the government's mind the idea of finalizing this issue, gainfully and by preserving the status quo as much as possible, is very strong. Some people might find this normal, but this is the cause of the problems: How realistic can a treaty be without having clearly identified negotiating parties, guidelines and guarantors?
The Justice and Development Party (AKP) is a strong government, which is trying to cope with the new dynamics in the Middle East. But it seems that it will struggle to free itself from the "old state” reflexes, especially when it comes to solving the Kurdish issue, while the current stage requires an innovative and revolutionary approach.
Thus, immediately after the meetings on Turkey’s Imrali island where Ocalan is imprisoned, voices were heard from the Kurdish bases in the Qandil mountain, and in Europe. “Ocalan is not a king whose commands are all obeyed unconditionally,” they said. We can hear the same arguments in Diyarbakir.
People still refer to the armed rebels in their mountain bases as "those in the mountains." They do not seem to be willing to adopt an approach other than this, as they don't find it realistic. Indications suggest that, with thes old-fashioned state reflexes, we are closer to an Eastern-style approach of solving things than anything else.
However, when seeking solutions for these kinds of social issues, you have to treat the solution as a goal. First, labeling your interlocutor in the right way will offer the key to the solution.
Independently from the past, you have to evaluate the structure of selecting your interlocutor. You have to look at the issue with an entirely new paradigm and conceptual framework. If you focus on the mistakes people made in the past, progress will not be possible.
This Turkish government has to prove its sincerity with a new style and approach. If you do not abandon the terms that have been used in the past to address the other side, then you are not close to a solution. And most importantly, if you don't take the necessary steps when it is required and insist on your version of understanding to the solution, you are not close to a solution.
As in every country, the conflict in Turkey is unique to itself. We cannot achieve progress unless we meet these special requirements. First of all, the PKK's deep-rooted policy of frequently referring to Turkey as the "Dewlata Rumi," or "Byzantine state," must stop. This labeling by the PKK demonstrates the deep distrust felt toward the state.
This was best explained by Muzaffer Ayata, a PKK leader in Europe, when he said: "Whenever the Kurds trusted the state, they were betrayed. From Sheikh Saeed to Seyid Riza, they extended their hands to the state for peace, but the result was always the gallows. Their only mistake was trusting the state."
Now, the dominant psychology is shaped around this trust, which means that in return for abandoning their weapons, there must be a strong conviction by the PKK that the state will be sincere, respectful, and will not leave them in the middle of the road. If the government cannot fulfill these conditions, then it may as well postpone all its dreams of peace.
