Democratisation in Plural Society and Ethnic Conflict: The Case of Turkey-Kurdistan

Abstract

Will Kymlicka (1995), a philosopher, and Samuel Huntington (2002), a political theorist, state that the conflict between ethnic groups and national groups, which has intensified since the rise of nation states, has replaced the ideological war between communism and capitalism since the end of the cold war. The nation-state model holds back societies politically, economically and culturally, particularly in the Middle East, where they have been founded by Bonapartist actors. In Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria, neither nation-building, state-building, or democratisation have been accomplished. In the last decade, the main political movement in Kurdistan has changed its paradigm, arguing that 'a political solution for the Kurdish issue in Turkey (and also Syria) is possible through democracy, without having an independent Kurdistan.' This article will debate the relationship between democracy and ethnic conflicts, focusing on the Turkish case.