Episodes
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The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria is under existential attack from Turkey and their mercenaries. This has been a week of broken ceasefire agreements and of difficult negotiations. The Administration has put forward proposals and compromises, but is ready for total resistance, while Erdoğan has restated his neo-Ottoman ambitions. The United States is in the middle, but political solutions are not helped by the lack of public awareness and so of public pressure.
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Debbie Bookchin, Salih Muslim and Jeremy Corbyn took part in an online panel on Wednesday 18 December. The speakers discussed the escalation of violence against the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), and the stance of political actors and forces operating in the post-Assad Syria. The panel analysed the relationship between Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and AANES, as well as self-defense, the re-emergence of ISIS, the Rojava revolution and the coexistence of peoples.
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Sinam Mohamad, US Representative of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), analyses the humanitarian situation amid fighting in Aleppo (Heleb) and Shabha (Şehba), with thousands, many already displaced Kurds, forced to flee. She stresses the need for a dialogue for peace involing all parties in Syria, including representatives of the region's minorities, and urges international support for Kurdish self-defence forces.
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Turkey has continued their attack on democracy by ousting the DEM Party Mayor of Tunceli (Dersim) and the CHP Mayor of nearby Ovacık (Pulur), provoking mass resistance and employing heavy policing. A BBC documentary has highlighted Turkey’s weaponising of water against the people of North and East Syria. And Öcalan has again been refused access to his lawyers. Yet discussion about a resolution to the Kurdish Question refuses to die down.
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Erdoğan’s chief advisor has declared that what is happening is not a “solution process”, but a "state initiative towards a terror-free Turkey". So far, this “state initiative” doesn’t look very different from the previous approach of eliminating the PKK through state violence, and the crushing of Kurdish politics. Elected mayors are being removed, and Erdoğan continues to talk about, effectively, occupying the north of Syria and Iraq. Meanwhile, the election of Trump adds a new layer of uncertainty.
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Is the Turkish government genuinely open to negotiations with the Kurds? Or was Öcalan's fleeting prison visit just a war tactic? Tune in to listen to our panel of experts from various freedom movements around the world, to discuss the real prospects for peace.
Sinn Fein MP Dáire Hughes, joining our panel of freedom fighters from various conflicts, points to the success of Northern Ireland's Good Friday Agreement, urging hope that the Kurdish issue can be resolved through inclusive dialogue and international solidarity.
Fazela Mohamed, a former combatant with the African National Congress (ANC) shares insights from the the long struggle to end apartheid in South Africa during our expert panel on the prospect for renewed peace talks between Turkey and the PKK.
Tanja Nijmeijer shares first-hand experience of peace negotiations between Colombia and communist guerilla FARC-EP. Listen to our panel as the share insights into the long road to peace, and challenges ahead to open dialogue between Turkey and the PKK.
EH Bildu MP Igor Zulaika joins our panel from the Basque Country, highlighting the need for continued communication and mutual understanding between a party’s leadership and its popular base. What is in store for Kurdish parties and the road to peace? -
Turkey’s political drama continues with the arrest of the Mayor of Esenyurt and his replacement by a government trustee - the first time these tactics have been used against the mainstream opposition CHP. The rationale for recent government actions is still unclear, but the movement for a solution to the Kurdish Question has taken on a certain momentum of its own; and the CHP’s response has been generally encouraging. Meanwhile Turkish bombardment has ravaged North and East Syria, Zionists are trying to woo Kurds on social media, and Erdoğan’s hypocrisy over Palestine has been further exposed.
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After a momentous and rollercoaster week, today’s review sets out the key events – talks about a possible new peace process; the PKK attack on an Ankara arms producer; Turkish bombardment of North and East Syria; and the long-desired visit to Abdullah Öcalan after his 43 months of total isolation. It looks at comments by some of the key players, including the PKK, and includes background observations that can help make sense of it all.
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While all eyes have been on Gaza and Beirut, tensions in Syria have become increasingly violent, as well as complicated by the variety of different countries all jostling for position and ready to take advantage of any opening that they can use to increase their own power and influence. This week’s review also looks at the run-up to tomorrow’s important election in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, hopes for peace amidst continued oppression in Turkey, and news from Iran’s prisons.
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Rumours of peace appear to be belied by Turkey’s continued aggression towards the Kurds both inside and outside their borders. Meanwhile, actions have been carried out across the world calling Öcalan’s freedom; and an acrimonious election campaign may be the first step towards a new uncertain chapter for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
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Fréderike Geerdink discusses the recent rescue of a young Yazidi woman from ISIS captivity in Gaza and reflects on the divisive reactions to the story within the Kurdish community. She warns against blaming Palestinians collectively for the girl's ordeal and urges Kurds not to fall into the trap of divisions that serve the interests of oppressive states such as Israel and Turkey.
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In their principled support of Julian Assange, the Council of Europe have acted according to their founding purpose. At the same time, they have proved incapable of meeting the challenges of the spreading war, or even of disciplining Council members who flout their own rules. The week’s review looks at the situation of Kurdish politics in a fast-changing Middle East, through the prism of the Council.
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Kurdish activist Elif Genç discusses the shared history of Kurdish and Palestinian solidarity, and how state leaders like Erdoğan and Netanyahu have pitted the two communities against each other.
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Fréderike Geerdink’s article examines the Kurdish political reactions to the assassination of Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah and the broader geopolitical implications. She highlights the PKK's unique analysis, suggesting the murder could fuel regional conflicts and advance Turkey’s strategic ambitions.
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As the world lurches towards further destruction, no one should dispute the validity of Erdoğan’s UN criticism of Western hypocrisy, but he can match the West with a hypocrisy of his own. This week’s Turkish authoritarianism focussed on the suppression of Kurdish culture – while a letter from a political prisoner described the reality of solitary confinement in Turkey’s prisons.
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Musa Anter summed it up brilliantly when he said: “When my mother tongue is shaking the foundations of your state, it probably means that you built your state on my land.” He shook the foundations of the state by thinking this radically different. He shook the foundations so profoundly, that he was not only murdered but also denied a proper burial.
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Eric Hobsbawm’s “Age of Empire” covers the four decades that led up to the first world war. There are frightening parallels between that period and the imperial rivalry of the world today. This politics has no time for minority peoples unless they can be used as pawns in the bigger game, and Kurds find themselves again caught up in other people’s wars. Kurds are also facing a new hostility in Europe, where racism and deference to Turkey distort asylum decisions.
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While experts debate the significance of Iraq’s recent memorandum with Turkey, Iran’s newly elected president has visited Baghdad, where he has signed 15 co-operation agreements with Iraq. Such agreements are rarely good news for Kurds, who suffer at the hands of both Turkey and Iran. Although Turkey would also like an agreement with Syria, Assad has again made it clear that this is not on the horizon so long as Turkey occupies parts of Syria. Meanwhile the Turkish news is dominated by the murder of 8-year-old Narin Güran and its possible political implications, and Iran prepares for the second anniversary of the death of Jina Amini.
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As human rights lawyers in Turkey proclaim, “There is no justice here”, this week’s review focuses on Turkish authoritarianism. It looks especially at its impact on political prisoners, but also at other abuses in the politicised justice system, and at the oppression of trade unionists and environmental activists
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Kurds face attacks on all fronts, including targetd assassinations in Iraq and Syria, but the world seems indifferent. In Turkey, journalists and political prisoners face oppression as the government attempts to distract citizens from dire economic circumstances. In Syria, Russian and Turkish joint patrols have resumed, to be confronted by resistance from local residents. In Iraq, people debate the significance of the shooting down of a Turkish drone, to a background of corruption and arms smuggling.
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