A Note on PKK and Gezi Parki Demonstrations

TURKEY - In Brief 10 Sep 2013 by Atilla Yesilada

PKK suspended the withdrawal of its guerilla force from Turkey, accusing AKP of planning a war on Kurds. Essentially, the Peace Process is dead.  AKP’s much-advertised reform package is delayed and is unlikely to satisfy even the minimum of Kurdish demands. I don't expect a return to insurgency until next year, but Kurds will join urban protestors on the streets. It is funny, the Peace Process and rebuilding of Kurdish provinces was one of the reasons Turkish sovereign was granted BBB grade.Gezi Parki retuned with vengeance in September although the Turkish press is under heavy censorship not to report about it.  Alevites, another Shia-related sect Caferites and Kurds seem to have taken the lead on the streets. Numbers are smaller but violence is higher. AKP resorted to excessive force immediately causing the death of yet another demonstrator in the Syrian border province of Hatay.  A cycle of violence is a possibility which we are monitoring.  Unless numbers increase and the international media turns its spotlight on the unrest, economic and market significance is negligible, but definitely worth watching.

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