The Kurdish question in Turkey: Shortcomings of socio-economic methods

Abstract

The Kurdish issue is one of the biggest political problems of Turkey leading to many democratic, humanitarian and economic costs. According to some Turkish circles, the Kurdish issue is not an ethno-cultural problem, but a question of regional terrorism rooted in feudalism, ignorance and poverty. They argue that the issue would be resolved by means of socioeconomic methods aimed at improving ethnic Kurds' living conditions in Eastern and South-eastern Anatolia. They maintain that the improvement would curb Kurdish nationalism and suppress ethno-nationalist attitudes and beliefs among Turkish-citizen Kurds, rendering them loyal citizens of Turkey. At the end of the day, there would be no Kurdish issue, but loyal Kurds who welcome all Turkish-based integrationist policies of Turkey. This essay contends that the socio-economic approach may contribute to the resolution of the Kurdish issue, but this approach alone would not enable Turkey to solve the issue because it would still need to come up with a political formula that satisfies multiculturalist Kurdish demands.