NEWS CENTER – PKK Executive Committee Member Duran Kalkan made evaluations to the PKK website.
PKK Executive Committee Member Duran Kalkan’s evaluations are as follows:
“Making evaluations in such a historical process is undoubtedly of great importance. The 4th Strategic Move of June 1, 2010 is not a move like the August 15 Breakthrough, which was focused on, concentrated on, locked on victory and insisted on achieving results. Moreover, our determination to fight on June 1 is a process that has been developing since June 1, 2004. In a way, the half-and-half strategic change started then. Our 7th Congress’s decision to declare an indefinite ceasefire and to carry out the Freedom Revolution on the basis of the strategy of democratic political struggle in the face of the state’s approach of not implementing the death sentence issued in İmralı meant a change to a certain extent. Although it did not foresee an intense war, it envisaged starting a low-intensity active defense war as of June 1, 2004, thus overcoming the blockages in the democratic political struggle with revolutionary violence. It cannot be called a complete strategic change, but it was not a narrow, simple tactical change either. Therefore, in order to understand the 4th Strategic Period, June 1, 2010, it is necessary to know what preceded this period and to evaluate the developments that preceded it. Because everything was realized through the accumulation of what happened before. These developments developed as a necessity of the strategy of struggle against the international conspiracy.
The essence of the work is the power of thought, consciousness, correct understanding, and the correct planning and decision that emerges from this
It is necessary to answer the question ‘Why did the Revolutionary People’s War have to be implemented and lived as a strategy again?’ by looking at the previous process. These issues have been dealt with quite a bit, albeit piecemeal. But the right thing is to address, discuss and evaluate them in a holistic manner without fragmenting them. It might be better to consider this unity at least in the context of the international conspiracy and the struggle against it. This is how it will be possible to see and understand the reasons for the June 1, 2010 Strategic Move, and how it differs from previous periods of strategic struggle. In this respect, it is necessary to understand the international conspiracy, and in order to understand the conspiracy, it is necessary to correctly understand the system of denial and extermination of the Kurdish that emerged out of World War I, and the cultural genocide regime imposed on Kurdistan to realize this denial and extermination. What are the aims of this regime, who are its leaders, what are its bases and methods? How have they been implemented in different periods? Which ways and means does it use? What does it mean at this point today? It is necessary to ask and answer all of these questions.
Acquiring the right ideological-political consciousness and understanding the reality of Kurdistan and Kurdistan can only be possible through this. Neither can we understand this situation correctly with superficial, somewhat adventurous enthusiasm for struggle, nor can we bring these realities to the right consciousness and produce solutions with empty ‘independent state’ literature. These approaches are understandings and attitudes that do not reveal the essence of the matter, on the contrary, they mask it and make it invisible. Leader Apo’s approach and attitude is definitely not like this. We see and understand this better from his ways and methods of struggle and his approach to the struggle. We see and understand this better by reading and analyzing his defenses that illuminate the path of struggle against the international conspiracy. Therefore, what we will address is undoubtedly the line of the Leader Apo. Our basic approach is to look at, analyze and research events and phenomena with Apoist philosophy, theoretical analysis and social science, and to search and find solutions in the Apoist ideological and political line, that is, with the theory of Democratic Modernity. Leader Apo developed all these and put them in front of us as a power of analysis and solution.
In order to comprehend the political-military events of the year 2022 correctly, to determine our duties and responsibilities correctly within the scope of this year, and moreover, to put them into practice successfully, it is necessary to look at the recent historical process in a holistic and profound way. Those who do not do so cannot know what to do and how to do it. In this respect, it is inevitable to have a holistic and in-depth look at the general historical situation, the recent historical process, the international conspiracy and the reality of the struggle against it. It is through such an approach that we will be able to correctly resolve the events we are experiencing today, and from this point of view, we will be able to realize what our duties and responsibilities are and how we can successfully put them into practice. This is our real source of strength that can make us successful in the struggle. We want to struggle and leave our mark on history. Power is necessary for this. Without strength there can be neither struggle nor success. This is also an indisputable fact. Therefore, we need to correctly identify our real source of power that will make us successful in the struggle. The essence of the work is the power of thought, consciousness, correct understanding, and the correct planning and decision that emerge from this. A fruitful struggle cannot be waged with the wrong perspective and system of thought. Only with a correct and deep understanding, comprehension and by transforming it into style, tone and tempo can we carry out our tasks. In order to achieve this, it is important to learn the lessons of the process correctly.
Total resistance on the basis of the Revolutionary People’s War
On the other hand, we are in a critical period. We should not treat Kurdistan in parts, it is a fact that we are faced with carrying out the Revolutionary People’s War Move not in one or two parts, but in a holistic, much more organized, conscious and planned manner. The process has undergone changes and we have come to such a point. In this respect, it is necessary and essential to learn the lessons of the recent past, to understand the duties and responsibilities of such a comprehensive and intensified process of struggle correctly and adequately, and to carry it out successfully.
What was the aim of the international conspiracy, what was it based on? How did the October 9, 1998 and February 15, 1999 phases of tactical implementation develop? From the February 15th conspiracy until January 2000, the so-called İmralı trial, the process of reckoning, followed by the suspension of the execution of the death penalty and the policy of decay, were aimed at the destruction of Leader Apo and the liquidation of the PKK. Against this, the İmralı struggle process and the Leader’s defense of this policy at the ECHR led the coalition led by Ecevit to collapse. In order to continue the conspiracy with new ideological tendencies and lead it to success, the AKP was brought to power as the last move and the Imrali struggle was carried out in the Islamic line and tried to win. Against this, there was a paradigm shift, a process of defining the Democratic Ecological Women’s Liberationist Society Paradigm on the basis of the book ‘Defending a People’ and the reconstruction of the PKK on this basis within the framework of the democratic confederal society organization, and the AKP move was also frustrated.
Against the moves of the international powers in the Middle East and against the AKP moves in Turkey, it became clear that not only democratic political struggle would not be enough, but armed resistance must also be waged. However, the obstruction of the internal liquidationist impositions of the international powers and the AKP brought such a move to the agenda only on June 1, 2004. Even reaching such a process was enough to frustrate the policies sought to be carried out with the AKP. On August 23, 2005, the National Security Council meeting determined that they had failed in the strategic and tactical attacks they had carried out to bring the international conspiracy to success in all these matters and decided to carry out attacks aimed at the destruction and liquidation of our Freedom Movement with the concept of total special war. In fact, a comprehensive strategic change on the opposing front came to the agenda during this period. We responded to this with an active defense war.
Within the framework of different tactical plans, there was a very important resistance of both the guerrilla and the people in 2006 on the basis of the “Leader Apo is my political will” campaign. This resistance made the General Staff and the AKP reconcile on the one hand and frustrated their tactical attacks on the other. Finally, there was the October 1, 2006 Ceasefire. It was not a game, it was not a simple situation at the beginning, but the political mobility in the Middle East and how slippery the ground was were seen more concretely then. At the beginning, all global and regional powers were in favor of the ceasefire, but within a month or two, many of them changed their positions. The ceasefire that everyone agreed on, especially the US, was left unattended. Those who claimed that they would mediate and lead the development of a democratic political solution to the Kurdish question by embracing it were forced to admit that “they had no power to do anything”. This led to a new period of conflict that developed from 2007 onwards.
The Turkish Republic structured itself as a government, parliament and planning. In alliance with the US, it planned to launch a new attack process by bringing military operations against Southern Kurdistan and the Medya Defense Areas to the agenda. From December 2007 through 2008, we were subjected to an attack centered on the Zap operation. This attack was a military attack with an ideological and political dimension. These were resisted both ideologically-politically and militarily. Ideologically, the attacks targeted the Leadership, and the Leadership resisted first and foremost and broke the ideological attacks. The military attacks were broken with the resistance against the Zap operation. Political attacks were also broken with the local elections in 2009. Afterwards, many tactical battles were fought and finally, when the state and the AKP government realized that they could not succeed in the political struggle, Tayyip Erdoğan declared “we are doing it all over again” and the total war process, which was decided in August 2005, started again. This is how the so-called political genocide operations began.
June 1, 2010 4th Strategic Move came to the agenda as a result of the failure and nullification of the denial and extermination system, the Turkish state in particular, and the many ideological, political and military attacks developed by the AKP government within the scope of the special war, as a result of very intense strategic and tactical battles on such a basis of struggle. The Turkish state and the AKP government, which failed to liquidate the PKK, brought the all-out special war attack to the agenda again on the basis of political genocide operations. During the winter of 2009-2010, it maximized its political-military and ideological attacks. In the face of this, Leader Apo withdrew himself from the negotiations by evaluating that “there were no more conditions for political struggle”. This is how the June 1, 2010 Strategic Move came to the agenda. From June 1, 2004 to 2010, at the end of the struggle that included multifaceted tactics, the tactics of the government and the state failed and a new strategic struggle process was entered into. This was realized within the framework of the failed government and state taking the concept of total special war as a basis again. Of course, against this, it came to the agenda that our Freedom Movement met this attack concept with the Revolutionary People’s War Strategy, which we can express as total resistance in a sense, and failed and defeated it.
The strategic change, the process of struggle based on the Revolutionary People’s War has such a basis. We have come to this point after a very comprehensive and multifaceted struggle. It was not a success for the state and the government that the Turkish Republic switched to such an all-out special war. It meant that by bringing new methods of attack to the agenda, it entered the situation of achieving its goal. Our attitude towards this was total resistance on the basis of the Revolutionary People’s War. This was the main meaning and definition of the 4th Strategic Period.
It is time to be strong-willed and take initiative
At this point, the following can be said about the 2022 process: The leadership resists, the people resist, the guerrilla resists. As a result of all this, when the question ‘what is the situation? The cultural genocide regime continues its attack aimed at the destruction and liquidation of our Freedom Movement on the basis of the total special war concept at the most advanced level. In the face of this total annihilation attack, the revolution continues, it is not defeated.
Our attitude and stance as a movement against this is the total resistance based on the Revolutionary People’s War Strategy. This means ‘you can wage any kind of struggle’ for those who understand. For this reason, we are experiencing a period of the most intense conflict and struggle in the year 2022. We have not suddenly entered such a process, and it should not be perceived as normal and a continuation of the past. We should not be weak in adapting ourselves to the new and seeing what has changed. It is time to understand correctly and deeply, to have will and initiative.
No matter how one looks at it, the opposing front wants to carry out its attack on the basis of an all-out special war concept. For this reason, the attack on the basis of the total special war concept continues in the form of an attack aimed at destruction and liquidation wherever they find the opportunity. In fact, they are trying to prevent a great development and a development that will become the vanguard of the Democratic Middle East Revolution by making a bigger move, by making a freedom revolution in the four parts of Kurdistan. This is what lies behind this attack and behind it is regional and global reaction. With this concept, many circles are trying to prolong their power, extend their lifespan, and form alliances with each other through the concept of attack against the PKK for the purpose of destruction and liquidation. Tayyip Erdoğan-AKP has based its stay in power on this. Only in this way will they be able to push the contradictions and conflicts among themselves to the background, make alliances and get the support of global powers. This is their goal and objective. At the center of this is the AKP-MHP-KDP alliance. As we have stated many times before, AKP-MHP fascism and KDP policies are common. These two powers have tied their stay in power to fighting the PKK. The KDP is trying to prolong its life by fighting the PKK and to force the other parties to do the same. The AKP is trying to suppress domestic opposition and gain support by saying “the war against separatism has begun”.
Also in terms of method, a subcontractor force is used for these attacks. They have secretly and openly organized various feeding organizations and forces, they have established relations and are using them. The attacks coming from both fronts are common. We are facing such an attack situation.
For AKP and Tayyip Erdoğan, being in power is the same as existing. It has become a matter of existence and non-existence. The day he falls from power will be the day he passes away from this world. He knows this well and has entered into such a conflict with everyone. For this reason, many circles are also evaluating, “AKP will fight until the end, even if it loses in the elections, it will not leave power so easily and is preparing for war by creating its own secret paramilitary forces”. Now AKP-MHP fascism has settled on such a line.
In this respect, the year 2022 is a year of total resistance, a year of fighting in the Revolutionary People’s War Strategy. At the center of such a struggle is AKP-MHP fascism, colonialist-genocidal mentality and politics. Such a holistic struggle must be envisioned.
It is not enough to just say ‘they are attacking us, let’s be in defense against them’. Active struggle is essential to make a revolution. Active struggle requires an aggressive revolutionary struggle. For this reason, 2022 is the year of revolution, the year of the Revolutionary People’s War. Therefore, this struggle must be waged on the basis of winning victory.
Within the scope of all these evaluations, it would be complementary to state the following as a conclusion. The conflict situation in the region continues and will continue. The conflict between the global system and the nation-state status quo will continue. Such a situation offers a great opportunity for revolutionary moves. At this point, the situation in Kurdistan is important. Kurdistan is a pioneer in thought and practice. Therefore, the Kurdistan Revolution has a historical mission, role and responsibility. It is certain that such an environment will both carry the Kurdistan Freedom Revolution to success and pave the way for the Middle East democratic confederalism.
