Turkey's "Terror-Free" Initiative: A Complex Geopolitical Landscape

... transitional government, and Israel's strong drive for its division. Therefore, regardless of whether Syria stays unaltered or is split, Ankara's policy to strengthen its ties with the Kurds in Syria—through the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Turkish Kurds—is crucial. This also clarifies the indications given by certain Turkish officials to capitalize on the attitudes of Syria's various religious communities. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader, Devlet Bahceli, was cited in July, stating that "the constitution in Turkey should be amended to include a Turkish president with a Kurdish and an Alevi vice president." The MHP and its leader, Bahceli, did not refute the comment or provide ...