August 13, 2005

The resumption of PKK terrorism is believed to be the result of declining public support for the PKK. After their leader was captured in 1999, and public opinion polls showed even Kurds were fed up with PKK violence, the PKK tried a non-violent approach. They even changed their name twice, first to Kadek (the Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress) in 2002, and then to Kongra-Gel (Kurdish People's Congress) in 2003. Recently, the name was changed back to PKK again. With that came the resumption of terrorism, which is now being directed at other Kurdish political parties as well. For centuries, the main reason the Kurds were unable to establish a Kurdish nation was their propensity to fight each other. That has not changed, and is unlikely to change in the near future.