Rise and fall of the AK Party's Kurdish peace initiatives.

• Author: Kose, Talha
• Position: ARTICLE - Essay

ABSTRACT This study analyzes the peace and reconciliation initiatives of the AK Party governments (2002 until 2017) to address the Kurdish Question, with a special focus on the Reconciliation Process. Steps taken throughout the Reconciliation Process and the strengths and weaknesses of these steps are discussed. It is argued that the main challenges and shortcomings were the shifting political priorities of the Kurdish political actors, the changing balance of power within Turkish domestic politics, new opportunities presented to the Kurdish Movement by the Syrian civil war and the uncertainties Turkey faced due to this war. The main conclusion of the paper is that the regional turmoil, especially the ongoing civil wars in Syria and Iraq, is the major determinant that blocked the Reconciliation Process.

Introduction

The Kurdish Question has been one of the top priority items in domestic politics for the AK Party government. Some serious efforts were made and two major initiatives were conducted by successive AK Party governments to address the Kurdish Question. The most serious effort was the Reconciliation Process (2013-2015). However earlier efforts paved the way for the Reconciliation Process. Erdogan's Diyarbakir speech in 2005 signaled a change of opinion on the issue. While, along with the Kurdish Opening (2009), some legal amendments and democratization efforts were made to address the problem. The Reconciliation Process (cozum Sureci) was only possible with the backdrop of these earlier efforts. This study analyzes the peace and reconciliation initiatives of the AK Party governments (2002 until 2017) to address the Kurdish Question. More specific emphasis is on the Reconciliation Process or as it is known in Turkish the "cozum Sureci." Steps taken throughout the Reconciliation Process and the strengths and weaknesses of these steps are discussed within the general logic of peace processes.

Peace Process as a Notion

A peace process is defined as the active attempt for the prevention and management of conflict between and within states. (1) The minimum requirements of a peace process involve the participation of the key protagonists in the process, cessation of violence, practicing political process and taking political steps that would prevent the reescalation of violence. (2) According to John Darby and Roger Mac Ginty, five essential criteria are required for a successful peace accord: 1) The conflicting parties are willing to negotiate in good faith, 2) Key actors are included in the process, 3) The negotiations address the central issues in the dispute, 4) Force is not used to achieve objectives, 5) The negotiators are committed to a sustained process. (3)

A peace process without the above-stated conditions has a very limited chance to be successful. A genuine peace process is different from ending an armed conflict or direct violence. Peace process is a comprehensive procedure that aims to focus on the social, economic, psychological and security-related aspects of the conflict. As Johan Galtung expresses, (4) ending the direct violence cannot be considered the ultimate purpose of the peace process by any means. It can take a long while to overcome and deal with all the aspects of the conflict and such a comprehensive result can never be obtained in most conflicts. However as long as the violence factor continues, convenient grounds to enable progress in other realms cannot be formed. Reaching a result that introduces social justice and consonance while meeting the expectations of all the conflicting parties as a result of negotiations might be the ideal solution. However, many negotiated peace agreements come to an end before achieving this ideal situation.

The Reconciliation Process analyzed in this study refers to all the constructive efforts to reach a solution that were displayed after the cease-fire with the aim of coming up with a political solution in the long-running Kurdish Question. The Reconciliation Process emerged as a comprehensive process that encompassed legal, social and economic dimensions of the problem. Public diplomacy and communication strategies also comprised major elements of the process. Although a cease-fire was declared at the outset of the process, the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) units deployed in Turkish soil did not withdraw despite their promise to do so. During and prior to the Reconciliation Process, a series of comprehensive legal regulations were carried out towards the recognition of the rights Kurds requested. (5) However, a constitutional amendment regarding the local autonomy demands of the Kurdish National Movement (6) was not brought to the agenda. Despite the drawbacks, the psychological and bureaucratic impediments to permanent peace were minimized during the Reconciliation Process. The atmosphere of peace and stability experienced throughout the process left positive traces in the collective memory of various societal segments in Turkey, particularly of the people living in southeast Turkey. Therefore, this process cannot be regarded as a complete failure. On the other hand, the new phase of conflict that erupted in July 2015 has dramatically changed the resolution model, leading to a new route map.

From Kurdish Opening to Reconciliation Process

With his Diyarbakir speech on August 12, 2005, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan diverged significantly from the official discourses on the Kurdish issue. Erdogan acknowledged the mistakes of the past governments on the Kurdish issue with the following quote: "there have been faults in the past and we are strong enough to solve these faults and questions." (7) Erdogan also emphasized his commitment to resolve the "Kurdish Question" through democratization and economic progress. "Kurdish Problem is not just a problem of one part of this nation; it is a problem for all of them. It is also my problem... We will resolve this problem with more democracy, better citizenship rights and more wealth." (8)

Erdogan's speech in Diyarbakir in 2005 was a bold attempt because it was more difficult to express voices that contradicted with the official position on the issue at that time. In the early 2000's the AK Party was still perceived more skeptically by the military and judicial establishment. It needs to be kept in mind that in 2005 the balance of power was in favor of the bureaucratic establishment and against the democratically elected AK Party government.

The first systematic peace initiative, which was termed the "democratic opening" or "Kurdish Opening" (Demokratik Acilim / Kurt Acilimi) later referred to as the "project for national unity and fraternity" (milli birlik ve kardeslik projesi) was launched in early 2009. However, this initiative was weakened after the provocative return of PKK militants to Turkey through the Habur Border Gate and came to an end after the PKK's attack on the city of Tokat/Resadiye on December 7, 2009. The second initiative was called "Reconciliation Process/cozum Sureci." The Reconciliation Process started off with the Newroz declaration of Abdullah Ocalan in Newroz of 2013 (March 21). While the first initiative failed and the country entered a period of turbulence, the second initiative came to a halt due to the reignition of violence in July 2015.

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The Kurdish Opening involved some dramatic changes in the Turkish governments' approach to the Kurdish issue, which was backed by some key legislation. In return, the PKK was expected to disarm and leave Turkish territories. The Kurdish Opening was based on deliberative collective decision-making with the contribution of third parties (9) and special emphasis was given to the public diplomacy and deliberation dimension of the peace process. While there was support for the Kurdish Opening at the bureaucratic level, the Turkish public was more skeptical about the process. The Reconciliation Process was a top-down process, which involved negotiations between Ocalan, on behalf of the Kurdish Nationalist Movement, and the Turkish State. This study argues that the Reconciliation Process emerged as a consequence of the Kurdish Opening.

The Kurdish Opening received its official name of "Democratic Opening: National Unity and Fraternity" in January 2010. The opening broadly considered the Kurdish problem from the perspectives of economic development, democratization, and security. Pushing a security-based approach to the background for the first time, more equalizing and liberating promises were made in the political, economic, and social fields. The objectives and paths to be taken for the resolution of issues such as the establishment of a state approach respectful of rights and liberties in its attempt to prevent terrorism, becoming a citizen of the Turkish Republic, Turkish remaining as the official language but affording opportunities for other languages, differences being regarded as cultural richness, preventing the feeling of "otherness," ending the atmosphere which gave legitimacy to terrorism, protecting Turkey's integrity and unitary structure, and becoming a stronger country in the international arena were put forth. (10) The Kurdish Opening process had the presupposition that it would reach its goal of ending terrorism through the path of democratization. By developing fundamental rights and liberties, easing problems of identity, preventing discrimination, and establishing equal political participation, the opening aimed to institute national coalescence. (11)

Throughout the Kurdish Opening process, important steps were taken on a legal basis in the area of democratization and an extensive negotiation platform was created inclusive of large sectors of society in terms of method. Through the medium of this platform, the creation of as big a supporting group as possible was attempted. The AK Party made it a priority to successfully launch the process and worked hard to achieve this. (12)

Some of...