The British drew the current world map. They developed complex and detailed plans to ensure the continuation of an everlasting state of war and operationalized them most effectively in the states' frontiers.
Africa, Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, India or China, in short, all the lands that have been subjected to colonialism are designed by the British for a world of sustainable wars. Indeed, the lands of poverty and war on earth are either those of Muslims or the countries in which the West succeeded to establish a sustainable colonial tradition.
When World War I ended, the leading Western countries resented the establishment of countries like Turkey, Iran, Egypt and Pakistan whose sizes did not allow them to initiate a process of re-colonization. Thus, the only remaining option for the colonialists has been "occupying" those countries through their internal problems.
The Kurdish question is a centuryold issue of Turkey that has occupied the state since the foundation of the Republic and that was exacerbated, rather than being resolved, until the last decade. Tens of reports were prepared either by state officials or scholars that analyzed the dynamics of the region and proposed various measures for the resolution of the Kurdish question, but no progress could be achieved.
Galip Hocha, in his report on "Celal Bayar," succinctly described the Kurdish question of Turkey as follows: "These lands are inside our borders, but they are not, in fact, part of the state in terms of public services and state officials have always been occupied with unlawful proceedings. This is the region's condition."
As decades- old deep wound, the Kurdish question, by consuming the energy of the country and the nation, allowed foreign states opportunities for continuous intervention in Turkey.
In the period of Özal, for instance, it was commonly argued, "the massive Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) could be completed twice if the financial resources spent against the PKK's terrorism were transferred to the economic development of the region.
The AK Party Government - which resolved, since its foundation, many substantial problems of Turkey - put the Kurdish question, the greatest problem of the country on the table, and thus it has become, thanks to its path breaking political attitude, part of the resolution process.
While the PKK's terror was active, illegal political structures, notably Ergenekon, were preparing the ground for the intensification of the armed conflict. After the Ergenekon structure was overthrown and the army has become, as in all democratic countries, the servants of civil politicians, the resolution of the Kurdish question has become the subject of democratic politics.
Turkish people embrace the peace process from their hearts, while the southeastern provinces are celebrating the resolution process as a festival.
According to research conducted by GENAR in February 2014, the percentage of people in Turkey supporting the ongoing peace process stands at 70 percent and those expecting the Kurdish question to be resolved at a total of 95 percent. As the people of Turkey unerringly support the resolution of the Kurdish question, the politicians must be cautious in managing the process.
The greatest indicator of the new (democratic and strong) Turkey is the resolution of the Kurdish question permanently and thus any failure in the peace process would halt the country's ongoing democratization. In a word, through resolving its own problems, Turkey should re-prove herself as a great state.
About the author
İhsan Aktaş is Chairman of the Board of GENAR Research Company. He is an academic at the Department of Communication at Istanbul Medipol University.
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