The new information and communication technology has provided space for the reproduction of structural violence, cultural norms and patriarchal mode of interaction leading to honour-related violence.
The EU member states should be concerned that the exacerbation of the Kurdish issue can potentially not only destabilise Turkey further, but also feed into other crises that have been taking place at the same time in Iraq and Syria, and have catastrophic effects on the refugee crisis – a major worry for EU decision-makers.
“The AKP government has been advocating and pursuing the removal of Assad, the defeat of ISIS and the isolation and weakening of the PYD. These three strategic aims are in full contradiction to one another if one considers the realities on the ground. These parallel objectives highlight how Turkey has avoided systematic prioritisation.”
The United States needs to preserve its goodwill and reputation in Kurdistan by remaining neutral in its internal disputes, but also engaging constructively as a close ally.
In August 2015, the UN Security Council warned that, in Iraq and Syria, sexual violence is being used as a deliberate tactic, saying these acts are war crimes, with claims that Daesh in particular has created a ‘theology of rape’ including sexual slavery.
A social contract which enables the KRG to escape accountability in return for providing a salary and services is fundamentally at odds with Kurdistan’s democratic aspirations.
Irrespective of the results of the coming elections, the AKP has reached a finite point whereby it cannot deliver fully on democratic reforms and resolution of the Kurdish issue. This article suggests that the AKP needs to seriously consider forming a coalition government that is determined to address serious domestic issues. Any other behaviour would reveal its inability to share responsibilities and power.
Recent developments damaged beyond repair the confidence investors had in lending money to the KRG. As a result, the only other way out of the current economic crisis, at least in the short term, is to bring in fresh capital to cover for the money Kurdistan is unable to generate internally.
