Turkey’s Old Trick: Keeping Kurds off the New Mideast Map

Abstract

Turkey is once again weaponizing the Kurdish issue to assert its regional dominance, using Abdullah Öcalan as a key bargaining chip. By pressuring Öcalan to advocate for Kurdish disarmament, Ankara aims to dismantle Kurdish autonomy in Syria and beyond. However, this strategy is not about reconciliation but about preserving Turkey’s century-old policy of suppressing Kurdish identity. At the same time, Israel’s evolving role in the region—seen in its recent support for the Druze—raises the question of whether it will extend the same strategic backing to the Kurds. With Turkey and Iran both seeking to curb Kurdish aspirations, the Kurdish-Israeli alliance could become a decisive force in reshaping the Middle East’s balance of power. Will Israel recognize this opportunity before it is too late?

Keywords: Iranian Studies, Turkey, Autonomy, Syria, Kurdistan, Druze, Non-state actors, Turkey's Foreign Policy, Kurds, Expansionism, Druzes, Conflict and Conflict Resolution, Kurdistana Rojava, Isreal, Abdullah Öcalan, Turkey's Foreign Policy Towards Northern Iraq or Iraqi Kurdistan, Militant Groups, Abdullah Ocalan, Middle Eastern Geopolitics