‘Domestic politics behind unrest in SE Turkey: Analyst
Press TV has conducted an interview with James Dorsey, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, to discuss the recent clashes between the supporters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Turkey and police forces in the city of Istanbul.
What follows is a rough transcription of the interview.
Press TV: First of all, looking at the situation in Turkey as it stands, it seems that the Turkish government is in a state of war against the PKK with civilians also bearing the brunt of it and of course the Kurdish sentiments being hurt there. What do you make of it?
Dorsey: I think what you are seeing is, you have seen a breakdown of the peace talks which were very promising and you have seen a revival of the hostilities both in terms of armed hostilities in the southeast of Turkey as well as in northern Iraq and in Syria and of course the mass arrests that are taking place.
The primary driver in my mind on this issue is domestic politics. Turkey is gearing up for a snap in the parliamentary election on the first of November in which the president and his party hope to regain a majority that would allow them to form a government on their own. And this is an appeal to the more nationalist segments of the Turkish electorate.
Press TV: But will this work though? Will the AK Party be able to basically intimidate the Turkish population into voting for it and giving it that majority?
Dorsey: I do not think it is a question of intimidation. What it is, is an appeal to nationalist sentiment. Obviously in times of crisis you see rallying of the wagons. Whether it will work is anybody’s guess. If you look at initial polls in Turkey, the HDP, the pro-Kurdish party, the first one ever to have made it into the Turkish parliament is not suffering significantly as a result of this nationalist leverage.
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