Turkey puts peace with Kurds at risk

Ankara's decision to throw away years of negotiations with the Kurdish nationalist movement in Turkey is both irresponsible and perverse, The Guardian reported Saturday.

It seems likely to add to the dangers and uncertainties that the collapse of state authority in Syria and Iraq have brought to the wider region and it could have ominous implications for Turkey's internal politics.

Then came two developments which put the process in jeopardy. The Syrian and Iraqi conflicts, among their many consequences, had the effect of strengthening the Kurdish communities in both those countries. The Iraqi Kurds achieved an almost complete de facto autonomy as Baghdad lost control, while the Syrian Kurds, allied to the PKK, also became more their own masters.The Turks feared their example would make their own Kurds more demanding.

If so, this is a dangerous course, both internally and externally. It has already endangered Turkey’s relatively good relations with the Iraqi Kurds, who have protested against the raids on the PKK. Worse, it could damage Turkish democracy and diminish the chances of a settlement, which the country needs as much as ever.