War and conflicts continue at full speed in the Middle East. While Israel's attacks on Gaza and Lebanon have caused grat destruction and loss of life, the civil war that broke out in Syria in 2011 has evolved into a new era. The Baath regime fell after the attacks launched by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on 26 November, while Turkey and the paramilitary group Syrian National Army (SNA) started targeting the cities of North and East Syria. 

 

Political sociologist and author Prof. Dr Doğu Ergil, who conducts research on the Kurdish issue, evaluated the developments in the Middle East. 

 

'KURDISH SUSPICION HAS TURNED INTO HATRED'

 

According to Doğu Ergil, the current developments herald a major change in the Middle East. Stating that international powers want to establish sovereignty over energy resources with the growing population and developing economy, Ergil said that the utilisation of resources leads to competition among states.

 

Stressed that there is a need for a pluralist mechanism that does not ignore different identities and beliefs, Ergil said that this is especially needed in the Middle East and Turkey. Ergil said: "The history of most of the states in the Middle East is very recent. After the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, almost 40 states emerged. Not all of these states found such a homogenous people. There are different ethnic groups, different religious groups, different sectarian clusters in all of them. It is not easy to create a system that would include all these, provide them with a space of freedom, satisfy them economically and include them equally in the political system. Countries that failed to achieve this fell into instability. The Middle East is like this. The Middle East consists of peoples who do not desire a nation character with politically demarcated borders after the Ottoman Empire. Now these peoples want a political system that is more suitable for them under the new conditions. Secondly, by rebelling against those who oppressed them, they want to establish a political order with them under better conditions or without them."

 

Stating that there is an uncertain environment in Syria, Ergil said that there are interventions from outside and that these interventions are made by both states and illegal structures, "For example, there is a coalition that has entered Damascus, declared its power and is on the list of terrorist organisations," he said. 

 

If there were no Kurds living in Turkey, Turkey would want the Kurds in Syria to establish their own autonomous region or even unite with the Iraqi Kurds said Ergil and added: "Because of this, Kurdish suspicion has turned into hatred. They are infected with Kurdish suspicion and fear. It is like a kind of disease. This Kurdish suspicion and hatred in Turkey has become morbid. Because violence has always been chosen as the method to solve the Kurdish issue. And the result of violence is, of course, death and killing."

 

'NATIONAL MOVEMENT THAT IS HEADING TOWARDS STATEHOOD'

 

Stating that Turkey is disturbed by the fact that the PKK has not ended, Ergil recalled the recent attack in Ankara and said: "There is an organization that can still carry out attacks but does not do so for tactical reasons. According to them, this organization must be eliminated and dissolved. However, it is believed that there will definitely be a Kurdish entity in Syria, which is disintegrating after the new developments in the Middle East, and that this Kurdish entity will continue to exist under the auspices of America and Israel. In addition, it is also related to the PKK, it thinks that the PKK will not end, and it thinks that it will have a say in the Kurdish formation that will be formed. Because of these concerns, Turkey has decided to at least neutralise the PKK."

 

 

Ergil said that Devlet Bahçeli's exit was not an attempt to find a solution but a matter of security concerns and added: "Öcalan is seen as the key actor here. In other words, if an agreement is reached with him, it thinks 'PKK will come to an end, PYD will come to an end. The Kurdish threat will be eliminated in Syria and Turkey'. Now, after being in prison for so many years, if he said, 'OK, put me under house arrest and send me to the other side of the border. I don't know if our government would believe him if he said, 'I will solve everything.' There is a national movement that is heading towards statehood. Will all this suddenly evaporate with the decision of one person, is that possible? I will not give the answer to this. My personal answer is of no importance. We will see what will develop on the ground. As far as I understand, Syria will be divided. Israel will seize a significant part of it. There will be a Kurdish region."

 

'KURDISH ISSUE'

 

Ergil stated that Turkey was trying to prevent the autonomous administration in Syria and that it would have to come to an agreement with the administration in Syria, as it had previously come to an agreement with the Kurdish administration in Iraq, and sai:, "If it is understood that something like that will happen here (Syria), it will accept it. It has to accept it. By the way, it does not have to be forced. Logically, it would be like this. Then there would be some progress in the Kurdish issue in Turkey, and there could be a serious relaxation in terms of cultural rights."

 

Stating that the CHP has no influence on the recognition of North and East Syria and the solution of the Kurdish issue, Ergil said the following about how the Kurdish issue can be solved: "I have written two-three books on this subject, I have conducted field research. My findings are that the Kurds do not want much from the Turks. But there is that identity problem... Being excluded as Kurds... The most important symbol of this is language. They find it difficult to understand this oppression and discrimination in language. Turkey is a state where half of the Kurds in the whole region are citizens. Instead of growing in the Middle East, Turkey is shrinking by fighting with its Kurds. It would be a much more realistic, much more effective state if it could at least provide those areas of influence through the Kurds.

 

MA / Mehmet Aslan