Thursday, 01 November 2007,
Reear Karim
Rebwar Karim
Turkish military continues preparations for more strikes within the region.
Globe correspondent Rebwar Karim Wali believes that all Turkish military operations are "paving the way for the Army to declare a temporary government that addresses its best interests and to replace the AKP party."
Despite international pressure, Turkey prepares for its 24th operation inside Kurdistan region. Turkey staged its first military action on the PKK on May 26, 1983. Then, Turkey brought 10,000 soldiers 25 miles inside Iraqi land to attack the PKK. Though this operation was carried out in accord with the former Iraqi system, no military agreement was signed between Iraq and Turkey at that time. After more than a year, in October 1984, Baghdad signed an agreement with Ankara, and Ankara orchestrated the same agreement with Iran after a month. But the Turkish troops never trespassed upon the Iranian borders as they did with Iraq. The last military incursion into Kurdistan by Turkey was in 1997. After arresting Abdullah Ocalan and weakening the PKK, Turkish military operations outside their borders eased up. Their military began threatening Iran rather than striking the PKK. Turkey considered the Kurdish circumstances of that time as temporary. The best they scenario they saw was that Saddam would conquer the Kurdistan region again, and the worst was that the Kurds would gain limited autonomy but Baghdad would still be in charge of their authority. Neither of these happened after the fall of the former Iraqi system in 2003. Then, Kurdistan region and its new reality became a part of the long-term political conflict in Turkey between that country's Islamic and secular parts. Such a dispute has never been debated like it is today, and all the secularists' positions have been invaded by Islamic sides except the Army and the MIT (Turkish National Intelligence Organization); the others are all in Islamic hands.
What Turkey is doing now is just the result of an internal problem rather than the PKK. It's a dispute between the Kemalist secularists and Islamic technocrats, and the equation is easy: If all PKK leaders are submitted to Turkey or if there is a crackdown on all PKK guerrillas-though the Turkish army would never do such a favor to Erdogan's government-do the current political struggles in Turkey come to an end?
The Turkish Army did not want to create problems for the government on changing the constitution, because they did not want to make it ugly. Meanwhile, the constitutional draft prepared by the AKP is a good justification to strike this party. The Army focused on the PKK and the Kurdistan region in order to make its deeds legislative on the country, not on account of authority. The country will be lost, not the sovereignty!
It is too late. The Turkish government and the authoritarian party are entrapped, and the government knows well that by dethroning the PKK, the problem does not end-it just stalls. By looking at the 1997 experience, the Turkish Army bankrupted the Islamic government of Najmaddin Arbakan and created another government, and it is not out of the question to believe that the same scenario of the past 10 years repeats itself. If the Turkish Army enters Kurdistan in any way, the Turkish government will face a great loss. Turkey will have no success. Whether or not Turkey stages the military strike, a part of the Turkish government is still in the hands of the Army. The Turkish government must pay back $117 million in debt and will be under more stress. All of this is paving the way for the Army to declare a temporary government that addresses its best interests and to replace the AKP party; it lost the Kurdish vote in other elections and any previous gains made by this party are now lost. What the Turkish government is doing now doesn't coincide with the real politics of the AKP, and all its announcements are an attempt to rescue itself from stress. America is a part of it because it has never forgotten that Turkey refused to let it use Turkish lands to strike Iraq, while Iran previously let America use its sky to strike Afghanistan! And so, America does not need the AKP for its future goals, and manages to rankle Turkey in many different ways. America tries to bring together both the Kurds and the Turkish government. But, a government take on office by the Army's willingness can befriend Kurds while it is impossible for a government that aims to destroy the Army. Thus, the renewing of the Turkish political struggles benefits Kurds, and the more it exists, the better it is for the Kurds.
Despite international pressure, Turkey prepares for its 24th operation inside Kurdistan region. Turkey staged its first military action on the PKK on May 26, 1983. Then, Turkey brought 10,000 soldiers 25 miles inside Iraqi land to attack the PKK. Though this operation was carried out in accord with the former Iraqi system, no military agreement was signed between Iraq and Turkey at that time. After more than a year, in October 1984, Baghdad signed an agreement with Ankara, and Ankara orchestrated the same agreement with Iran after a month. But the Turkish troops never trespassed upon the Iranian borders as they did with Iraq. The last military incursion into Kurdistan by Turkey was in 1997. After arresting Abdullah Ocalan and weakening the PKK, Turkish military operations outside their borders eased up. Their military began threatening Iran rather than striking the PKK. Turkey considered the Kurdish circumstances of that time as temporary. The best they scenario they saw was that Saddam would conquer the Kurdistan region again, and the worst was that the Kurds would gain limited autonomy but Baghdad would still be in charge of their authority. Neither of these happened after the fall of the former Iraqi system in 2003. Then, Kurdistan region and its new reality became a part of the long-term political conflict in Turkey between that country's Islamic and secular parts. Such a dispute has never been debated like it is today, and all the secularists' positions have been invaded by Islamic sides except the Army and the MIT (Turkish National Intelligence Organization); the others are all in Islamic hands.
What Turkey is doing now is just the result of an internal problem rather than the PKK. It's a dispute between the Kemalist secularists and Islamic technocrats, and the equation is easy: If all PKK leaders are submitted to Turkey or if there is a crackdown on all PKK guerrillas-though the Turkish army would never do such a favor to Erdogan's government-do the current political struggles in Turkey come to an end?
The Turkish Army did not want to create problems for the government on changing the constitution, because they did not want to make it ugly. Meanwhile, the constitutional draft prepared by the AKP is a good justification to strike this party. The Army focused on the PKK and the Kurdistan region in order to make its deeds legislative on the country, not on account of authority. The country will be lost, not the sovereignty!
It is too late. The Turkish government and the authoritarian party are entrapped, and the government knows well that by dethroning the PKK, the problem does not end-it just stalls. By looking at the 1997 experience, the Turkish Army bankrupted the Islamic government of Najmaddin Arbakan and created another government, and it is not out of the question to believe that the same scenario of the past 10 years repeats itself. If the Turkish Army enters Kurdistan in any way, the Turkish government will face a great loss. Turkey will have no success. Whether or not Turkey stages the military strike, a part of the Turkish government is still in the hands of the Army. The Turkish government must pay back $117 million in debt and will be under more stress. All of this is paving the way for the Army to declare a temporary government that addresses its best interests and to replace the AKP party; it lost the Kurdish vote in other elections and any previous gains made by this party are now lost. What the Turkish government is doing now doesn't coincide with the real politics of the AKP, and all its announcements are an attempt to rescue itself from stress. America is a part of it because it has never forgotten that Turkey refused to let it use Turkish lands to strike Iraq, while Iran previously let America use its sky to strike Afghanistan! And so, America does not need the AKP for its future goals, and manages to rankle Turkey in many different ways. America tries to bring together both the Kurds and the Turkish government. But, a government take on office by the Army's willingness can befriend Kurds while it is impossible for a government that aims to destroy the Army. Thus, the renewing of the Turkish political struggles benefits Kurds, and the more it exists, the better it is for the Kurds.
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