‘PAINFUL EFFORT’
By Ayse Karabat

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Dec 23 2007

Some people argue that "foreigners" are playing with our psychology.

According to them, "foreign powers" are trying to make us weak and
vulnerable because they don’t want to us to be a "regional power."

According to those that espouse this argument, foreign powers are using
the "Kurdish card" against us today as they used the "Armenian card" in
the past. Those that defend "psychological operations" tended to think
that some of the heinous assassinations or bloody terrorist attacks
this country has witnessed were organized by these foreign powers.

Turkey is a country whose geographic location and resources can be
very attractive to foreigners — not only decent investors, but also
to those with ulterior motives. At the end of the day, crime has no
nationality and knows no belief. However, labeling everything we
do not know or understand as having ulterior motives and as being
psychological operations by foreigners is illogical.

People that hold onto this argument give the impression that they
are like cavemen; anything they are unable to understand with their
limited logic and knowledge is the business of some external powers!

There are several points that need to be made at this point. First,
those who wish to make us scared of foreigners may be missing the fact
that there are some "internal powers" in this country that benefit
from our fears. Second, we should ask ourselves, if we are strong
enough, how is it possible to play with our psychology?

Lastly, perhaps the psychology we need to comprehend in order to make
ourselves stronger is something else entirely.

This week I interviewed several people, discussed various issues and
exchanged ideas with a number of terrorism experts, members of the
security forces, families of outlawed terrorist Kurdistan Workers’
Party (PKK) members and a former PKK member.

Regardless of how painful it may be, we have to accept the reality
that in some parts of southeastern and eastern Anatolia, having
a relative in the PKK confers a status on the family. This status,
unfortunately, is not something to be ashamed of, to hide or to worry
about. When a possible amnesty is discussed, families of PKK members
don’t rush to it or beg for it, rather they ask for conditions.

Yes, it is true that from the very beginning the PKK has been a tool
in the hands of foreign powers. Almost every country and criminal
organization with an interest in Turkey used the PKK in one way or
another. They are still using it. But just think of an ordinary PKK
member — I mean someone who is not part of the group’s leadership.

What compels them to stay in the mountains? What makes them attack?

What makes them kill and wish to die?

Utah University’s Emre Uslu says that a PKK member sees himself or
herself as a "self-sacrificing guerilla of the Kurdish cause." They
call their members that are killed "martyrs." He says this culture
is also reflected in the families. Because of this, he stresses,
any talk about amnesty must also target the families. Creative ways
should be utilized to convince the families because they are the only
communication channel with PKK members.

Even members of the security forces say that any new regulations that
are introduced with regard to amnesty should not include the term
"regret," because even just using this term is repulsive to members
of the terrorist organization.

The story of N, who joined the PKK when she was only 15 years old and
left at the age of 19, sheds a lot of light on the situation as well.

She says she was affected by the "romantic" side of being a "freedom
fighter." Her family was not poor, though most people believe that
PKK members are illiterate and poor. This is not true. Some of them
are highly educated, some have graduated from high school, and some,
as is the case with N, come from western Turkey.

It is very easy to portray all PKK members as traitors, as
bloodthirsty, as toys of foreign powers and so on. And although these
are true — nothing can justify violence — ending the story there
will not contribute to the solution. The psychology of these people,
their motives and the attitudes of their families should be studied
very carefully. Solutions need to then be a product of this effort.

Anything short of that will keep this country vulnerable to
"psychological operations" by others, because those others know the
answers we ourselves refuse to look for.