The nature of PKK terrorism in Turkey

Abstract

This study is undertaken to evaluate the profile of the PKK (Kurdish Workers Party) and Kurdish political behavior separately in an attempt to distinguish the Kurdish issue from terrorism. PKK's profile has changed between 1978, when it was founded and now, depending on Turkey's internal politics as well as the changing international environment. Basically, it started out as a Marxist‐Leninist separatist organization, but by 1990 switched to demanding a federation of Kurds and Turks, and simultaneously bidding for a role in an independent Kurdestan comprising southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq. PKK's only consistent policy is to have remained a Marxist‐Leninist organization so far. The first part of this article addresses the roots, objectives, and methods of the PKK. The second part assesses the problem within Turkey's domestic environment, with a focus on whether PKK truly represents Turkey's Kurds. The third section tries to answer the question of who provides the logistical and financial support for PKK, thereby exploring the issue's international dimensions. The last section evaluates prospects regarding a “political solution” to the problems of the southeast, which is now being voiced in both Turkey and Western capitals. © 1995 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Who supports secession? The determinants of secessionist attitudes among Turkey's Kurds

“…The Kurdish movement constitutes a good example of such shifts. The PKK, which emerged as a separatist organisation in the mid‐1970s, distanced itself from the idea of separation in its later years (see also Criss ; Kibris ). Especially since the early 2000s, the PKK and pro‐Kurdish legal political parties have been advocating greater autonomy for the Kurds within a federal structure.…”

Do Changes in Threat Salience Predict Moral Content of Sermons? The Case of Friday Khutbas in Turkey

“…This could have sociopolitical reasons. The Republic of Turkey was founded and built upon nationalistic ideas (Bora, 2003), and terrorist acts (which are the most salient social threats in Turkey; Center for Turkish Studies, 2017) are extreme forms of disloyalty undermining these ideals, considering most of the terrorist acts in Turkey are carried out by separatists attacking the military personnel (Criss, 1995). Therefore, it is not counterintuitive that the loyalty/betrayal foundation was the one most influenced by perceived threat in society.…”

What Works? Countermeasures to Terrorism: A Case Study of PKK

“…Since shifting their base, the PKK had been headquartered there and had received training in guerrilla tactics and sabotage under the tutelage of the Syrian government. Also, the Syrian government has provided safe havens, financial and logistic support, and intelligence for operations (Criss, 1995;Ergil, 2000;Bal and Laciner, 2003). The PKK was conditioned by these two sources of supply lines.…”

“…Among these actions, we selected five Turkish government policy measures for evaluation, presented in chronological order: (1) ''a law prohibiting the use of Kurdish language (1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990)(1991) (5) ''the capture of the leader Ocalan (1999).'' These interventions are considered important Turkish government counter terrorism policies according to various sources (Hassanpour, 1992;Button, 1994;Brown, 1995;Criss, 1995;U.S Department of State, 1995Human Right Watch, 1996;MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base, 1998Galletti, 1999;Gunter, 2000;Cornell, 2001;Lyon and Ucarer, 2001;Radu, 2001;Gokcek, 2002;Kocher, 2002;Norwegian Refugee Council, 2002;Bal and Laciner, 2003;Larrabee, 2003;Cline 2004;Marcus, 2007).…”