In the past decade, terrorist attacks in the Middle East have dropped sharply, often because of military defeat, sometimes by a change in conscience. A possible example of the latter came Thursday. In a letter from his prison cell of 26 years, Abdullah Öcalan, founder of a four-decade-old armed insurgency for the rights of the large Kurdish minority in Turkey, called on his outlawed group to disarm and dissolve.
The violence long used against civilians by his Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has “reached the end of its course,” he stated. An “era of peace” and coexistence must now be developed by forming a new Kurdish political party in Turkey.
“There is no alternative to democracy in the pursuit and realization of a political system. Democratic consensus is the fundamental way,” said Mr. Öcalan, who is highly revered among Kurds and called “Apo,” or uncle.
His letter evoked a mix of joy, tears, and doubts among Kurds spread across Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. The PKK’s leaders, based in Iraq, have yet to say whether they will lay down their weapons. Mr. Öcalan himself hinted that the next step resides with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to recognize a democratic and legal “framework” for the Kurds.
The struggle for Kurdish rights is one of the world’s most protracted civil conflicts, born a century ago as European powers carved up the Middle East without making a homeland for this distinct ethnic group that now numbers some 40 million. With pro-democracy groups in the Mideast gaining influence and terrorist attacks on the decline, Mr. Öcalan’s letter may reflect a regional shift toward peaceful resolution of ethnic and religious differences.
In Syria, for example, a former rebel leader once tied to Al Qaeda who ousted a dictator in December has made initial moves toward an inclusive, democratic government. In Iraq, democracy has slowly cemented over two decades with some progress in accommodating the country’s Kurdish minority. In Iran, clerical rulers face rising calls for freedom.
Last October, when Turkish officials sounded out the PKK founder about a deal, Mr. Öcalan stated that he was able to shift the Kurdish issue “from an arena of conflict and violence to one of law and politics.” His letter, a public statement of a change of conscience, has now set loose that resolve. It might now force a genuine dialogue between Kurds and Turks to live peacefully together.
