Mustafa Karasu from the Executive Council of the KCK (Community of Kurdistan Societies) assessed the current situation against the background of the current escalation of the war by the Turkish state. In this ANF interview, he addressed the regional and geopolitical context of the attacks. Part one of this interview can be read here.

Turkey's war policy is leading to an economic, political and social crisis at home. How do you view the attitude of the opposition in Turkey?

Turkey is experiencing a crisis in all areas. The reason for this is the war against the freedom struggle carried out by the Kurdish people. Whatever crisis and problem is examined, the Kurdish question and the dirty special war against the Kurdish people is shown as the cause. Without acknowledging this reality, there can be no real opposition. When prices rose and the economic crisis hit people hard, the fascist leader Erdoğan asked if people knew the price of a bullet. Can there be a clearer definition of the causes of the economic crisis than this? If the cause of the crisis and this issue are not exposed, the opposition will not be fully effective. The opposition must face the question of what policy it will pursue on the Kurdish question once it is in power. If there is no attitude towards a democratic solution and such an approach to the Kurdish question, the new rulers will pursue similar policies as today. If the AKP/MHP government collapses, however, it will no doubt become difficult for the new rulers to fully resume old policies. Because those who overthrow this government are not the official opposition. This government will be destroyed by the struggle of the people and the revolutionary democratic forces; the Kurdish freedom movement and the radical democratic political structures play the greatest role in this.

You cannot be a genuine opposition based solely on voicing economic problems. Of course, the economic crisis is deep and people are affected by it. From this point of view, economic problems can be addressed in order to expose the regime. However, it should be made clear that the economic problems cannot be solved until Turkey is democratized and the Kurdish and Alevi questions as well as many other problems are democratically solved. In other words, it is important to present a democratization program. In a real sense, democratic government means that the decisions and the initiative lie with the people. It should aim to establish democratic social self-government.

What is the connection between the occupation policies of the international powers in the Middle East and the attacks on the PKK?

First of all, we must underline the following. There is a direct connection between the liquidation of the PKK and the genocide of the Kurdish people. Those who do not understand the truth about the enemy, Kurdistan and the PKK may take this as our subjective opinion and exaggeration. But the character of the present enemy, the attacks they carry out and our resistance to them are the greatest evidence of this fact. The level of hostility of the Turkish state towards the PKK; the support given to the Turkish state and the sell-out of Turkey are evident. That is why even the word Kurd and the Kurdish existence are not tolerated. If it weren't for leaders like Rêber Apo, who understood the reality of the enemy, the Kurdish reality and the reality of the Middle East, no struggle could have emerged that would have saved the Kurdish people from genocide. Rêber Apo and the PKK know the enemy very well. In this way, the PKK differs from all Kurdish organizations. From day one, the Turkish state wants to assimilate Kurdistan and expand territory of the Turkish nation. Coming to this conclusion depends on having a deep knowledge of the enemy's reality.

"The regime relies on the genocidal tradition of the Turkish state"

The fact that the AKP-MHP coalition is attacking the PKK on such a massive scale in order to survive is related to the fact that genocide is the basis of Turkish politics. Otherwise the regime would not have been able to pour all the country's resources into this war just to keep itself in power. Strong opposition would have arisen. But the regime is drawing on the Turkish state's tradition of genocide in carrying out these attacks. Although the opposition knows that these attacks serve to keep the AKP/MHP government in power, they answered yes to Erdoğan's question about supporting the cross-border attacks.

“The essence of Turkey policy has not changed since Lausanne”

The support of the international powers for the Turkish state is related to the power balances established in the 20th century and the status quo based on them. This status quo is linked to the anti-Kurdish genocide. The international powers have still not made a fundamental political shift in relation to this 20th-century anti-Kurdish status quo. Led by Britain, the international powers have given the green light to Turkey's genocide of the Kurds within the country's borders in exchange for Mosul and Kirkuk to Iraq. This is the essence of the Lausanne Agreement. To date, this policy has not changed. The support of the genocide in North Kurdistan is a local expression of this policy. It is put into practice by the fact that the KDP supports the genocide in North Kurdistan in order to preserve its own existence. In return for dominating a city or two, the KDP becomes the biggest supporter and defender of the genocidal policies of the Turkish state.

“Support for the genocide has deeply shaped international politics”

Support for the Turkish state's genocidal policies has had a profound impact on  Turkey and Middle East politics since the 20th century. This policy has not changed. But the struggle of the PKK poses obstacles and problems in the way of these forces and their policies. For this reason, the international powers are troubled by our struggle. Because as long as we continue the struggle, they cannot carry out their regional policy, especially in Turkey, as they wish. They are trying to pressure us with their support for Turkey and make us give up the fight.

Undoubtedly, the international powers are convinced that the ideology developed by Rêber Apo is an obstacle to their regional policies. They don't want the Middle East to be truly democratized. Because in a real democracy they cannot find collaborators to the desired extent. A democratizing Middle East requires more egalitarian political relations. They cannot easily impose what they want on democratic countries and societies. For this reason, they also fight the apoistic paradigm of a free, ecologically democratic and women-free society. Democratic Confederalism, based on an egalitarian-organized democratic society, is a system that is shaking international political and social systems and provides an alternative. Therefore, the international powers support Turkey against Rêber Apo and the PKK. They side with undemocratic forces like the KDP in order to prevent apoist thinking from gaining ground among the Kurds.

But today they cannot maintain the status quo of the 20th century, nor the current regime in Turkey, nor the KDP in this way. If we make great sacrifices, our struggle will disrupt the attacks and plans of these forces and create a free Kurdistan and a democratic Middle East.