Dr. Walter Posch, a professor in Austria’s National Defense Academy, told the KurdPress News Agency that attempts against the Kurdish moderate politicians in Turkey will not benefit peace and stability in the country.

Dr Posch is a professor at the Austrian Defense Academy in Vienna. He has written many articles on Kurds and the situation of the Kurds in Turkey as well as Ankara's policy toward the Kurds. KurdPress Agency interviewed Dr. Posch who has also worked at the European Centre for International Security and Policy to discuss issues related to the Kurds and the Turkish government's relation with them.

What follow are his answers to KurdPress questions;

There are new parties in Turkey and they suggest they can have a different view on Kurdish questions and may solve it. How do you access their claim?

If you mean the Deva Party and the Gelecek Party, then I am rather sceptical. It is true though that their political discourse is more liberal and more forthcoming when it comes to Kurdish rights, but let them be in government and then let us see. Will they introduce Kurdish language schools and Kurdish in the administration? I doubt it, not because they are evil or liars but because there will be no push for it on behalf of the other political parties and the political discourse in the country remains ultranationalist. My guess is that both parties would rather go for a coalition with the MHP than with the HDP.

Most of the HDP mayors its MPs are imprisoned. Turkey also attacks severely the PKK in the Kurdistan Region. Can these actions wipe out the Kurdish struggle in Turkey?

These are two different policies and they must be seen separately. the struggle of the HDP is double one for Kurdish rights AND for the rule of law for everyone in Turkey. In spite of the often left leaning political language of the HDP it is a party of the political middle favoring rational, non violent and legalistic politics. The more success the HDP mayors and deputies had, the more they could act independently and were able to shift the Kurdish question away from struggle and terrorism to a question of justice within Turkey's legal system. This of course the Turkish far right fascists could not stomach and so they forced Erdogan's hand against the HDP. We see here the intertwined nature of the rule of law and Kurdish rights according to OSCE standards.

The PKK is an entirely different story it is still a radical left wing cult around a "leader" has a model of a society structured around the failed ideas of Lenin, Stalin and Mao and of course whatever ideological phantasy Mr. Öcalan embraces. However, the importance of the organization lies in the fact that it is apart from some other Maoist splinters in the Dersim region and in Rojava the only sizeable organization embracing Kurdish nationalism and bringing the fight on Ankara's doorstep. But even its supporters and most of its fighters see violence either as reactive or as means to force Turkey to concessions, contrary to its ideological more communist than Kurdish leadership.

Now the more success the mayors of the HDP have the more political clout moderate Kurds have. This would result in a decrease of the importance of poltical violence for the Kurdish and Turkish side, politically the Turkish far right and the Kurdish far Left would lose. But humiliation of moderate, democratic and legalistic minded Kurdish politicians means that violence remains as a viable option to promote Kurdish demands. Thus PKK and MHP are the co-winnes of this situation.

Do you see any hope for a new round of peace process either by Erdogan and AK party or probably a new government by the opposition?

No - because Erdogan lost the Nakshibandi factor. We all know how important Sufi related networks are in Turkish politics but also in Iraq and definitely in Iraqi Kurdistan. Sufis like no other can bridge ethnic divides and alleviate fears, their very well hidden influence made the Kurdish opening for the rank and file in the AKP possible (I subsume the Nurcu with the Nakshibandis).

Some analysts believe Erdogan wants to have all Syrian Kurdish- controlled areas and may attack Syrian Kurds again as Trump wants to bring out all forces. Is it possible?

The last thing Ankara wants is direct control over all Kurdish areas in Syria because it would certainly inflame tensions inside Turkey even more. YPG/PYD either on orders of Imrali/Qandil or not has no military offensive posture against Tureky, things change however as soon as Turkey sends its military, but why would Ankara do this? Taking on a well trained underground army which is on the verge to develop towards a Syrian Kurdish identity focusing on Syria rather than on all Kurdish areas. In short YPG and PYD are on their way of Barzanification where Kurdistan is geographically limited to a fiefdom.

Reporter’s code: 50101