What is that ‘thing’ with the Kurds in Ankara?

A century-old conflict dressed in Ankara’s transactional theatrics, where absurdity meets ambition. Meanwhile, recycled models from the Arab Uprisings find a new stage in Syria.

Hawkish nationalist leader Devlet Bahçeli with Erdoğan

The whole thing is a farce—if you’re a serious person, that is. Truly. This isn’t hyperbole.

It’s not a peace process. No, it’s not a solution or conflict resolution process, as it was labeled a decade ago. And please, don’t even utter those two words: Kurdish issue. Sure, you can use the word issue but leave out Kurdish. After all, in a country where the second-most spoken language—Kurdish—is officially recorded as “an unknown language” in Parliament, leaving negotiations with the Kurdish movement and its armed wing, the PKK, without a name fits perfectly.

Consistent, even. Still, it’s a tad bit absurd.

But absurdity doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wrong to engage. At least not for me. I’ve always believed that a negotiation table, even one as flawed as this, is better than nothing. A table where the Kurdish movement sits—not just its political party but also its militia leadership in Iraq’s Qandil mountains, Syria’s Rojava, and its im…