Published: 2026-04-23

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Contested Borders and Fragmented Sovereignty in Kurdish Political Mobilization

Gonul Gunes
FORTHEM Journal
Section: Research papers
DOI https://doi.org/10.25167/fj.5892

Abstract

Kurds, who stand at the center of political, military, and social tensions between Türkiye and Syria, play a decisive role in the fate of both countries not only because of their ethnic identity but also due to their geographical concentration along critical borderlands and their evolving political agency. This study analyzes the intersectional role of the Kurds in the crisis management processes of both countries in light of the regional dynamics that have changed with the regime change in Syria and the withdrawal of US military support. The new political balances and autonomous structures in Syria, forcing a strategic defense reflex, have simultaneously found repercussions in Turkish domestic politics. The symbolic contacts initiated by MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli, Abdullah Öcalan's call for disarmament, and the subsequent declaration of the PKK's dissolution, have shifted the issue from a security-focused crisis to a structural political initiative.

Keywords:

Syria, Kurds, PKK, Political changes, Türkiye

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Citation rules

Gunes, G. (2026). Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Contested Borders and Fragmented Sovereignty in Kurdish Political Mobilization. FORTHEM Journal, 3. https://doi.org/10.25167/fj.5892

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