The last years of Turkish politics have been tumultuous, yet the reemergence of the Kurdish crisis in Turkey has not garnered much international political attention. The region has returned to open war with thousands of casualties and mass repression of Kurdish politicians and activists. The little information, which emerges from this deeply complicated political environment, is often confusing for international audiences.
PRIF Report No. 147 “The Kurdish Movement in Turkey: Between Political Differentiation and Violent Confrontation” by Francis O’Connor sheds some light on the contemporary Kurdish movement. It distinguishes between the movement’s institutional political parties, the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) and the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), and the insurgent movement, the PKK. It outlines the origins and political objectives of the Kurdish parliamentary political tradition and those of the PKK.