The renewed dialogue between the Turkish government and the PKK has raised hopes of a peaceful settlement. This reopening of Turkey’s closed Kurdish opening seems to have been influenced by the civil war in Syria and the upcoming Turkish local elections. Unfortunately, it is hard to be optimistic. Enormous differences between the two sides remain. The AKP government wants the PKK to disarm and its fighters to settle in other countries in exchange for merely removing legal restrictions on the Kurdish identity and language. The PKK, however, wants meaningful autonomy that would give the organization significant power. If the historical record is any guide, the Turkish government will never be willing to grant such concessions which would seem to be leading to the state’s breakup.
Event Details
Speaker: Professor Michael Gunter, Tennessee Technological University
Discussant: Dr Zeynep Kaya, LSE
Chair: Robert Lowe, LSE
Date: Wednesday 12 June 2013
Time: 16.00-17.00
Location: 32L.G.03, 32 Lincoln's Inn Fields, LSE
Attendance: This event is free and open to all on a first come first served basis
Speaker
Michael Gunter is a professor of Political Science at Tennessee Technological University. He has written nine books on Kurdish politics and is the author of, ‘Reopening Turkey’s Closed Kurdish Opening’, Middle East Policy (forthcoming).