The AKP's Reconstruction of the Kurdish Problem during the European Union Accession Process

ABSTRACT: This thesis evaluates the nature of the Kurdish problem and the impact of the European Union on the AKP’s liberal democratic policies on the Kurdish problem. The Kurdish issue is a highly significant problem for Turkey. Although, the main roots of the ongoing Kurdish problem are based back in the 1980s’ the consistent failure of the nationalistic policies repeatedly employed by Turkish governments meant that the problem persisted and even worsened as the new century appproached. In the AKP period, major shifts in policy occurred, though the Kurdish question continued to be a challenge in both the domestic and international arenas. In this thesis explanation is given of the increasing internationalization of the Kurdish problem with Turkey‘s EU (European Union) accession process and evaluation is made of how the Kurdish problem was an important barrier to the progress of Turkey‘s EU path. Furthermore, this thesis examines the European Commission‘s requirement from Turkey in this area and discusses the AKPs “national program” made in order to meet the Copenhagen criteria. The AKP governments’ reform packages are evaluated in order to analyze changes in the field of human rights in Turkey. Keywords: Turkey‘s EU accession, Kurdish politics, democratic reforms, human rights, the Kurdish issue, AKP‘s “democratic opening”. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………