In terms of state administration, the Republic of Turkey has experienced a two-year-long ordeal that resembles the interregnum of the Ottoman Empire. Within that period, beginning from "Occupy Gezi" to the general elections of Nov. 1, a plan against Turkey is reflected and the mind of the state seems to work slowly in grasping the risks that the country now faces.
Intervention into the secretariat of the national intelligence organization, the Gezi protests, the attempted coup d'états of Dec.17 and 25, the local and presidential elections, and the general elections of June 7 and Nov. 1 were all realized within a short, two-year period. Indeed, the slowness of the state elite in eliminating the risks that the country faces could be best explained by that two-year period of confusion. As the Syrian civil war threatens the rest of world with tensions expanding into an impending global war, the Syrian conflict has already begun to threaten Turkey directly.
The Kurdish QuestionIncreasing its global presence, Turkey has developed an indigenous and patriotic perspective on the PKK question as an internal problem of the country. The battle of Kobani, which was developed by Iran in cooperation with Russia and their new alliance with the PKK, sabotaged the national project of Turkey's reconciliation process.
Picking up on weaknesses in the region, the PKK renounced the process by building great castles in the air. Although the Kurdish people neither accept nor support the terrorist activities of the PKK, Turkey now faces serious and deep problems in the southeast region.
The terrorist organization of Fethullah Gülen (FETÖ), Iran and the enemies of Turkey not only support the PKK, but also incorporateillegal leftist organizations into their design.
The attack of DAESH on Kobani is an example of this. The plot was not the natural design of that terrorist organization. The main goalof the DAESH attack on Kobani was to deepen Turkey's problems in the southeast and ultimately overthrow the government. If this secret design had been grasped and exposed and if DAESH had been eliminated in the region and replaced by the Free Syrian Army, then Turkey would have proven itself a clear fighter against DAESH and also would have won the chance to control the region around Kobani.
Unfortunately, the inability of officials to grasp the significance of the threat quickly, led to the emergence of the PYD as the only power fighting against DAESH in the eyes of the world. Because of the positive sentiment towards the PYD, the terrorist organization has begun to be supported in the U.S. and some European countries.
Yet, the events on Oct. 6-8 and the separatist sentiment of the Kurds towards the Turkish Republic had tremendous influence on the results of the June 7 general elections.
When the conflicts in the southeastern region, the international alliances and the generous sponsors of the PKK are carefully reconsidered, we need to recognize the fact Turkey faces a heavy threat that does not emerge from the people of the region at all.
I hope that diplomacy as a political mechanism, military measures, and regaining the true loyalty of the people in the region will be successful and the problem at hand will be resolved without deepening any further.
Although public opinion --including that of the Kurdish people in the region -- strongly supports the military operations being launched against the PKK, the ongoing conflict will only assist the PKK's position in the long term.
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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