Turkey was shaken by the news
Turkey was shaken by the news of another terrorist attack on Tuesday, with the deaths of five people as it dealt with the shock of the killing of more than a dozen soldiers in clashes with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) over the weekend. The rapid escalation of violence in the country has drawn much attention, as it came following a relatively peaceful atmosphere after the government’s announcement of a Kurdish initiative to resolve the long-standing Kurdish problem last year. The sudden rise in terrorist activities has caused many to question the reasons behind the rekindling of terrorism in the country at a time when there were high expectations for a democratic and peaceful solution to the Kurdish problem.
According to Bugün’s Adem Yavuz Arslan, there is no visible reason to explain the escalation of violence in Turkey as the Kurdish initiative process is still in progress despite some missteps. He says that contrary to former governments, the current government is pursuing a project of “brotherhood” rather than a policy of denial — it rains down investments in the country’s mainly Kurdish Southeast and opens discussions on personal freedoms. “So, there is no reason for the escalation of violence,” says Arslan.
His theory to explain the rise of terrorism in the country is that the latest escalation of violence is an operation to get rid of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government. “Erdoğan could not be pushed out of the political sphere despite all interventions. If a constitutional reform package prepared by the government is approved by the public in a referendum to be held in September and the AK Party comes to power again in the next elections, this will ring alarm bells for deep-state structures like Ergenekon [a shadowy crime network which has alleged links within the state]. So, these structures are aiming to ‘discipline’ the government through PKK terrorism,” says Arslan.
Failing to understand the reason behind the PKK’s anger, hatred and return to violence, Yeni Şafak’s Fehmi Koru asks the PKK whether it is disturbed by TRT Şeş, which broadcasts in Kurdish 24 hours a day, or by the allocation of a significant part of the national income for investment in the Southeast region or by Kurds’ new freedom to use their language. “As people who are living a nightmare from these acts of violence, it is our right to ask the ones who created it for the reason behind this nightmare,” Koru remarks.
Star’s Eser Karakaş says both domestic and foreign factors, such as some countries’ discomfort with Turkey’s strength in the region or a desire for early general elections, may be behind the latest escalation of PKK violence. No matter what the reason, Karakaş suggests that there is a stronger need in Turkey to give more support to the EU process and efforts to become a democratic state of law.
F Disli Zibak reported for todays zaman online.
