Kurdish peace process advances in Turkey and beyond
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In August, the Turkish Parliament passed a law creating a path for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to dissolve and for its members to rejoin Turkish society.
For over four decades, conflict between the PKK and the Turkish government caused approximately 40,000 deaths and an estimated $2 trillion in losses for Turkey.
Following peace talks and a symbolic weapon-burning by the PKK in July 2025, the new law provides legal protections for former militants who haven’t committed serious crimes and allows some imprisoned members to have their sentences suspended. The law also enables Kurdish politicians and activists previously in exile to return to Turkey.
Turkey’s shift toward a political solution, rather than solely military force, was key to persuading the PKK to disarm, as previous military suppression had only led to more violent rebellions. Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK leader, convinced his group to end armed conflict and pursue political means. This process extended beyond Turkey’s borders.
Turkey treated the disarmament of the PKK alongside the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish militia linked to the PKK, into the Syrian state as a single process. Similarly, the peace process helped prevent Iranian Kurdish militant groups from joining the war in Iran, despite pressure from other nations. These developments signal a broader regional shift away from armed militancy toward integration into state structures, and demonstrate Turkey’s growing ability to achieve security through political engagement.
