BY SEMIH IDIZ
AKSAM- The recent Kurdish-Arab violence in Syria concerns the Kurdish reality, something which Turkey is the best-equipped country to deal with and solve. Our reform process coincided with this period and will serve as a safety valve. In short, the antidote to Kurdish separatism is our process and pathway to European Union membership. Those who believe that the EU will divide Turkey will consider this meaningful. However, those who think about the issue more reasonably know very well that the socio-economic factors which feed this separatism can’t be ignored. For years former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has emphasized the economic dimension of this equation.
However, as economic conditions improve, people won’t forget their identity. On the contrary, perhaps the better conditions shake them up even more. However, this doesn’t necessarily have to mean separatism. When the state shows its caring side, the existing separatist tendencies can be discouraged. After all, there will always be those feeding this separatism. For instance, although the Basque region has been given a broader political autonomy, the ETA terror group still exists. However, as we saw recently, today Spain’s Basques condemn this organization as much as do other Spaniards.
During our fight against the terrorist PKK, there were radicalized people among our security forces. Such a thing is no longer acceptable. Let’s consider one scenario: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad attempts a mass massacre against the Kurds. This would certainly outrage not only the region’s Kurds, but also the entire civilized world. Consider that after these recent incidents, there were demonstrations in our own Diyarbakir. If radicalized elements among security forces and civilian officials can’t be curbed, this would surely backfire for Turkey.
Of course we can’t ignore those making calculations for their own political ends. If the streets are reduced to ashes during demonstrations, of course our security forces will do what’s necessary. We can explain this to the entire world. However, if they treat with violence those who want only to demonstrate, incidents could spiral out of control. Actually people are already starting to think about these issues. A serious state should do this.