No Peace Without Social Trust

18/08/2026

Recent developments and changes in Turkish state policy bring much to light. The steps taken to end the 50-year-long armed conflict, which is linked to the Kurdish freedom struggle, cannot be viewed in isolation from these developments and changes. This is because one of the key geopolitical strategies being implemented by international powers focuses on the Middle East.

Conflicts, wars, and alliances are intertwined. Future plans are being drawn up. Measures to ensure the security of energy corridors reveal very complex relationships and hidden plans. States and interest groups that disagree on some points see no problem in cooperating on others.

The attitude towards political and economic structures previously labeled as “bad” turns out to be flexible. Temporary and medium-term benefits serve to extend the lifespan of these ‘bad’ forces, clear the way for them, and grant them the legitimacy to act as a central authority. Until recently, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its leader, Mohammed al-Jolani, were classified as terrorists. Today, however, they have been elevated to rule and put in leadership positions. They are recognized as such by the entire world. The past has seen similar examples in the Palestinian issue and other international movements.

The process between Turkey and the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) points to a new political approach. The formal dissolution of the PKK aims to create a legitimate framework for its legacy and for the organizational, national, and social dynamics it has created. With the dissolution of the PKK, the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), and all their political, military, and social institutions, more comprehensive formations will emerge under new names.

It is impossible to erase the dynamics that have emerged as a result of the decades-long struggles of the Kurds and other peoples. It is impossible to ignore or eliminate the accumulated awareness and achievements that have become part of the values of coexistence. It is impossible to overlook, conceal, or vilify them.

The Republic of Turkey has set itself the goal to become a major power in the Middle East. It forges new alliances to that end. However, it cannot achieve this strategy without American support. From this perspective, Turkey is demonstrating that it has begun to assume a regional role based on shared interests with the United States. Yet it cannot undertake this regional role without convincing the domestic front or reaching an understanding with the Kurdish political movements — which also stem from that domestic front — operating within and near its borders.

The negotiations with PKK founder Abdullah Öcalan and other Kurdish leaders that began two years ago have been accelerated through concrete steps. All with this regional strategic goal in mind. The framework law, which was approved by the Turkish parliament with a large majority on 10 August 2026, has paved the way for a new political and legal phase. Since this phase also includes the Kurds in Syria, Iraq, and Iran, its repercussions and echoes extend beyond the regional framework and have begun to trigger and drive a reshaping of international policies.

Discussions among Kurds, Syriacs, Armenians, Arabs, Turks, Persians, and other peoples have taken on multiple dimensions, because a significant segment of the population, especially among Kurds and Turks, has no confidence in the process. However, no one is able to propose an alternative solution.

Because those whose mindset was shaped by covert warfare methods used in the past have not abandoned this mindset of hostility toward one another. Potential social threats and risks are growing. In the Middle East, feelings of hatred and resentment have long taken precedence over reason, science, and logic. This mindset remains present today in rhetoric and outlook, with one side still thinking about annihilating another.

A mentality of exclusion and demonization of Jews, Christians, Yazidis, Alawites, Syriacs, Kurds, and others is being fostered. The Middle Eastern ground remains fertile for new mass massacres and genocides because certain groups, raised fanatically on racist, religious, and sectarian ideologies that are prone to provocation, cannot come to terms with this process.

The strategy of imposing a single Turkish identity, implemented by the Republic of Turkey from its founding, and policies of denial, forced assimilation, biased educational curricula, and methods of violence, has contributed to deepening this lack of trust. When the Turkish state finally accepts the realities and peoples and works to transform and reform, the seeds of peace and feelings of trust among peoples will also grow and develop.

In short, the will for peace and coexistence is not built through deceit, conspiracies or authoritarian central powers, but through equal rights and equal freedoms.

The views expressed in this op-ed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of SyriacPress.