War and Peace in Kurdistan

About the Author and this Essay

Abdullah Ocalan was the leader of the Kurdistan WorkersParty, the PKK, and the most wanted man in Turkey for almost twodecades. He was eventually kidnapped while in Kenya in 1999, and hasbeen in prison in Turkey ever since. The Kurdish settlement areacomprises the entire Middle East. Hence, all Kurdish aspirations tonationhood will always involve several Middle Eastern countries andsources of conflict.
From 1984, under his leadership, the PKK fought for an independentKurdish state in the south east of Turkey. In a sustained popularuprising, tens of thousands of PKK guerrillas took on the secondlargest army in NATO. The conflict has remained unsolved tilltoday and the fighting still goes on.
While in prison, Mr. Ocalan has written a number of books, in whichhe analyses the situation in Kurdistan and offers proposals for apeaceful solution to the conflict.
In this essay, Abdullah Öcalan gives an overview of thehistorical background of the Kurdish question and offers options andpossible solutions.