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  • A Two State Solution For Turkey?

    A TWO STATE SOLUTION FOR TURKEY?
    Daniel Greenfield

    Right Side News
    http://www.rightsidenews.com/2011062113864/editorial/rsn-pick-of-the-day/a-two-state-solution-for-turkey.html
    June 21 2011

    Imagine a European Union member nation which represses an ethnic
    minority that makes up a fifth of its population. Now imagine the
    EU being forced to take sides in a domestic civil war within its own
    union in which ethnic cleansing is the order of the day. That is the
    fate awaiting the EU if it admits Turkey as it is.

    Turkish intolerance of ethnic minorities resulted in the Armenian
    genocide. And in the ongoing repression of its Kurdish population.

    Turkish prisons are full of Kurdish political prisoners, some who
    have done nothing more than use the Kurdish language in the wrong
    place or sing a Kurdish song. Kurds have fought back against Turkish
    state repression with a political and militant struggle. And despite
    what Turkish authorities are telling their European counterparts,
    that struggle is not over.

    The same elections that gave the Erdogan regime another term, also
    racked up political victory for Turkey's Kurds. Meanwhile chaos in
    Iraq and Syria may be setting the stage for Kurdish independence in
    both those countries. Iraq's Kurds already enjoy partial autonomy.

    Should Syria's Kurds achieve full or partial autonomy, then Turkey
    will be left to stand alone in its isolated policy of denying Kurdish
    rights.

    >From bombings by PKK militants to marches and political activism in
    occupied Northern Kurdistan, it is increasingly clear that there
    is no way forward for Turkey except through political autonomy in
    Northern Kurdistan. The Erdogan regime has filled its prisons and
    staged incursions into Western Kurdistan in Iraq. It has even been
    accused of using chemical weapons against civilians. But the Turkish
    perpetuation of the cycle of violence has not changed the determination
    of the region's Kurds to win their independence.

    The Kurds remain a ticking time bomb inside Turkey. And no responsible
    European leader can accept Turkish entry into the EU until the Kurdish
    situation is resolved. Slightly relaxing the oppressive cultural
    restrictions is not enough. It is time that the Erdogan regime be
    made to understand that it faces a choice between maintaining the
    occupation of Northern Kurdistan and joining the community of nations.

    After a generation of fighting the PKK, Turkey is no closer to
    defeating it. The PKK is not going away and neither is the dream of
    Kurdish independence. If the Erdogan regime wishes to maintain its
    borders in the face of Kurdish independence in Western Kurdistan, then
    it will have to negotiate with the same leaders it has been throwing in
    prison. Only by allowing an autonomous Kurdish state within the borders
    of occupied Northern Kurdistan, will Turkey gain stability and peace.

    Accepting Kurdish autonomy in Northern Kurdistan will allow Turkey
    to avoid a full fledged civil war and a two state solution which
    will see portions of its territory annexed to Kurdistan. While the
    Erdogan regime is confident that Europe and the rest of the world will
    continue turning a blind eye to its repression of the Kurds, there is
    no doubt that this will change in the event of a civil war. The world
    will not stand by and witness another genocide carried out by Turkey.

    And it will certainly destroy Turkey's prospects for EU membership.

    Autonomy or a two state solution is in Turkey's own best interests
    as well. Kurds have a higher birth rate than ethnic Turks do. Almost
    double. And that means that if Turkey fails to separate itself from
    the larger portion of its Kurdish population-- then all of Turkey
    will eventually be Kurdistan.

    Ending Turkish occupation of Northern Kurdistan will also leave
    the Turkish economy in a better competitive position and reassure
    international observers concerned about its stability. It will also
    end the need for cross-border incursions which will sooner or later
    lead to war.

    The Turkish government has a limited time frame in which it can advance
    a constructive solution. Its tactics of repression have failed,
    its cultural band aids will only encourage a burgeoning desire for
    independence and instability in Iraq, Syria and Iran mean that the
    creation of a Kurdish state on its border is only a matter of time.

    Now is the time for the Erdogan government to sit down with the
    political representatives of the Kurdish people and their resistance
    in pursuit of a negotiated solution.

    Neo-Ottomanists within the Erdogan regime may still dream of an
    expanding empire, but there is no place for such thinking in any nation
    that wishes to be part of the European Union. And it is up to the
    European leadership to make it clear that Erdogan and Davutoglu must
    choose between imperialism and democracy. That Turkey's relationship
    with Europe depends on a negotiated settlement of the Kurdish question,
    as well as a recognition and restitution of the Armenian genocide,
    the termination of its occupation of Cyprus and eventual withdrawal
    from its occupation of Northern Kurdistan.

    Turkey's economic successes should not be confused with political
    stability or human rights. And the admission of an unstable country
    at risk of fighting a bloody civil war against a fifth of its own
    population remains untenable. It also raises serious questions about
    the long term future of any foreign investment in Turkey. Particularly
    in conflict areas.

    The Erdogan regime should not be allowed to imagine that like China
    it will be able to buy its way out of any uncomfortable questions
    about human rights using economic leverage. Turkey is not China and
    its high level of debt increase mean that it will not be able to
    outproduce and outexport its troubles. With budget deficits as high
    as 20 percent of its GDP and a troubled bond market, the Turkish
    future is not as bright as the AKP's oligarchs like to pretend. And
    domestic instability in the form of a large scale Kurdish uprising
    could easily bring Istanbul's house of cards tumbling down.

    European leaders have spent too much time flattering the Erdogan regime
    and its oligarchy to share with them the hard truths that Turkey has
    no future without meaningful reform. And beneath all those reforms
    is the inescapable question of ending the occupation and achieving
    a settlement with the Kurdish people.

    Turkey must be willing to choose between Kurdish autonomy or a
    withdrawal from occupied territory to pave the way for a Kurdish
    state. There is no third option. Maintaining the occupation and
    repression is not sustainable. And has no future.

    If Istanbul really wishes to move forward, then it is time to begin
    holding peace talks that address the national and political rights
    of Kurdish citizens living in the occupied territories of Northern
    Kurdistan. With Turkey increasingly dependent on IMF aid, that aid
    should come with preconditions, including Turkish willingness to
    participate in a peace conference with legitimate representatives of
    the Kurdish people.

    If Erdogan chooses to continue the repression of the Kurdish people,
    then Turkey will join the likes of Burma and North Korea as a
    rogue state, an Apartheid regime that will be brought down when the
    aspirations of the Kurdish people are finally achieved in a state of
    their own.

    >From NY to·Jerusalem·, Daniel Greenfield Covers the Stories·Behind the
    News. Daniel Greenfield is a blogger, author and columnists covering
    international affairs, the rising threat of terrorism and the growing
    problems of socialism. His daily blog can be viewed at·Sultan Knish.


    From: Baghdasarian
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