One would be absolutely right to call the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) a movement of thresholds and barriers. Over the years, the organization's failed attempts at normalization and inability to develop a coherent platform stemmed not only from the guardianship regime's repeated attacks but also from inherent problems within the movement.Where the HDP easily succeeded, however, has been the ongoing struggle against troubles associated with the guardianship regime. It is therefore hardly surprising that the movement could overcome the electoral threshold with greater ease than political, demographical and organizational challenges.The HDP has already proven that the electoral threshold means little in the light of its ability to field independent candidates in order to claim a significant number of seats at the Turkish Parliament. Even without such an electoral arrangement, however, a political party completely embedded in ethno-nationalism still has to rise up to the challenge of demographics and geography.The downside of the HDP's exclusive references to Kurdish nationalism has been the emergence of geographic barriers. With the notable exception of the 2014 presidential campaign, the party hardly made an effort to reach out to voter blocs beyond its geographical limits. Quite the contrary, they seem to have embraced their geographical limits as part of a broader security strategy. The HDP's take on the violent protests of October 2014 alone would attest to this fact.Similarly, the movement – whose platform reflects nationalism, the most primitive instrument of political mobilization – has been unsuccessful in its attempts to win over large chunks of the Kurdish community. Keeping in mind the guardianship regime's extended oppression of the nation's Kurds, one appreciates the magnitude of their shortcomings. At this point, a major challenge for the HDP remains their inability to be the Kurdish community's top choice in the political arena. And to be clear, there is little doubt that greater emphasis on Kurdish nationalism is not the answer.Today, the movement's political rhetoric proves it is unable to bridge the gap between the Kurdish community and national audiences. The situation is unlikely to change considering that the only intersection between the lingo of HDP-PKK elites and ordinary Kurds consists of Kurdish identity – more specifically, past traumas associated with Kurdishness.A quick glance at the course of the Kurdish reconciliation process since 2009 would reveal that the HDP continuously circles around the single greatest barrier – disarmament. In this sense, the movement, which views weapons as a source of power, finds itself haunted by the specter of armed struggle and desperately seeks to manage a number of crises associated with its normalization pains.The congestion associated with violence currently represents the main reason behind the persistence of three aforementioned barriers before the movement. Sadly enough, the gun barrel that the HDP mistakes for a source of empowerments now stands up against their own heads. At this point, Turkey strives to talk a group holding itself hostage into catching up with the times and the population.The prospect of the HDP's overcoming at least some challenges closely depends on the movement's commitment to disarmament. However, they seem unable to develop the necessary rationale due to their eagerness to view their challenges as a source of power and political capital as opposed to the chains that they are.Looking at the situation from the HDP's standpoint, one encounters the trauma of a movement that tied its own hands. Surely enough, it remains impossible to overcome political, geographical and demographic challenges anytime soon. In this sense, the agenda of disarmament not only stands to benefit Turkey but also holds the promise of liberation and normalization for the HDP itself.There is little to do but to hope that they will figure out that their attempts at reducing disarmament into a simple act of barter simultaneously pushes their own freedom beyond their reach.