An Analysis Of Turkey AKP's Kurdish Policy

After the Justice and Development Party(AK Party)came to power in 2002,the Turkish government took a very different policy on the Kurdish policy,the activity way of Kurdish groups as well as the regional geopolitical issue.After the Syrian crisis broke out,the Kurdish independence movement has risen to the surface again and become an important variable to stir the geopolitical issue in the Middle East.The Turkish government began to face up to the Kurdish issue and struggled to find an effective way to solve it by changing the successive governments ' hard-line assimilation policy,taking actions on the reforms as well as conforming to the common aspiration of the people gradually.However,with the changes in the previous electoral strategy,the strengthening of the Kurdish forces and other reasons,the Turkish government has to gradually adjust the policy again to crush separatism.The Kurdish policy of AK Party creates sharp volatility which can be divided into three phases.The first phase is the period to conform to the common aspiration of the people(2002 to 2007).During that time,the Justice and Development Party acknowledged the existence of the Kurdish issue on self's own initiative and showed the will to solve it in order to woo electoral support of the Kurdish voters.The second phase is the period of delicate diplomacy(2008 to 2014).At this time,Turkey was developing with a sound momentum under the leadership of the Justice and Development Party and Mr Erdogan which created a peaceful and stable environment,both domestic and international,to make further progress on dealing with the Kurdish issue.AK Party proposed the Kurdish Initiative and the peace process aimed at boosting the economy and ending the conflict.However,due to the huge domestic resistance,the deteriorating regional situation,combined with the Kurdish party participating in parliament for the first time in the June 2015 parliamentary election,AK Party had to begin to adjust the Kurdish policy.And,into the third phase,the period of repressive policies(2015 to present).With the failure of delicate diplomacy,the deteriorating domestic security situation and the strengthening of the Kurdish forces,AK Party is determined to adjust the Kurdish policy.The Turkish government has once again cracked down on the PKK,and this acts toaugment to an extreme the danger of conflicts between them.That makes the Kurdish issue exacerbated again.Although,AK Party has adjusted the Kurdish policy gradually for several times,no proper effect has achieved,instead,to go downhill.Domestically,the Justice and Development Party,the opposition and the military are divided on the Kurdish problem,that is hard to solve.The PKK and other Kurdish separatist movement organizations continue to make several terrorist attacks in the country which create obstacles for solving the Kurdish problem peacefully.From the regional environment,the self-governing way of Iraq Kurds and Syria Kurds brings a demonstration effect to Turkish Kurds.Combined with the rise of the "Islamic State of Iraq and al Shams(ISIS)",the United States has to rely on Kurdish forces to fight against terror,increasing the difficult for AK Party to crush Kurdish separatism.In general,during the period of AK Party was in power,it made a new advance of democracy on the Kurdish policy than the successive governments.While the Kurdish issue was not solved,by extension,the diplomatic transformation was in trouble and the domestic security situation was deteriorating.At present,the Turkish Kurdish issue has not yet back on track.The AK Party should be grounded in reality,adopt a tolerant and equal attitude as well as acknowledge the differences recognition of differences to seek mutual correspondence and common development.