There are over 20 million Kurds in North Kurdistan, all are Demirtas

There are over 20 million Kurds in North Kurdistan, and they all are Demirtas! — A Kurdish protester holds the photo of Selahattin Demirtas during a demonstration against the Turkish government following the arrests of leading Kurdish politicians in Turkey. Photo: EPA

Omar Sindi | Special to iKurd.net

A conviction is one belief amongst others. The choice of a national liberation movement cause is the choice of commitment to a given nation- usually one’s own.

If Mr. Erdogan and the Turkish State authority rudimentarily thinking that by jailing Selahattin Demirtas, a co-Chair of the pro-Kurdish people’s Democratic Party (HDP), and other MP’s from HDP, that they will overcome the Kurdish issue in Turkey, they are incorrect.

This is an old idea, and is doomed to fail, because this detested demagoguery practice has been tested before by the Turkish State and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s predecessors many times over. Many other Kurdish people in Turkey have gone to jail before on this principle because the core Kurdish issue is not resolved yet.

President Erdogan has shrugged off many of the European countries and the United States’ criticisms on his project of arresting his oppositions. This is because he understands there is no unanimity among the international community on the Kurdish issue in Turkey. The Apartheid system ended early 90’s in South Africa, due to international sanctions led by the United States.

The United States’ foreign policy under President Barack Obama has been enfeebled, and noted by many international observers and political pundits. For example, Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte recently used vulgar language against the sitting US president; even though later on Mr. Duterte retracted his comments and apologized for his language.

President Obama said it would be a “redline” if Bashar al –Assad employed chemical weapons against civilians, and it was later proven by the United Nations that Bashar’s forces did in fact use chemical in battle but it went with impunity.

Right now US foreign policy is in a transition period; during the US presidential campaigns between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, Mr. Trump used tough rhetoric language on foreign policy issues, specifically on Middle Eastern issues, and at the same time his victory over Hillary has puzzled many experts and political pundits too! But now President-elect Trump’s foreign policy is still obscure but most observers think that President Trump might pursue an isolationist policy.

However, if Erdogan thinks he will revive Ottomnstan, if Abu Bakr al Baghdadi (ISIS) thinks he will create a Khalifastan, if Ayatollah Khamenei thinks he will build a Sheastan from the mouth of Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea, then I must say that Washington, London, Paris and Moscow will most likely be laughing at these grandiose myopic visions.

It was observed when the recent military coup d’état failed in Turkey, that President Erdogan was provided with a lot of ammunition to clamp down his oppositions, including many media outlets in Turkey, and those which weren’t in his favor.

Therefore, jailing Pro-Kurdish people’s Democratic party (HDP), Demirtas and his associates on the Kurdish issue. (“After failed coup, Turkish President embraces opposition but not the Kurds”) The problem will not come to an end, it will only deteriorate further and there are countless ‘Demirtas’ yet to come and the caravan will continue just like it has been for generations; but at the same time, the ordinary people on both sides of the aisle will continue to suffer, those who have nothing to do with this endless misguided policy, ruction, and political polarizations.

Benjamin Franklin: “In those wretched countries where a man cannot call his tongue his own, he can scarce call anything his own.”

Omar Sindi, a senior writer, analyst and columnist for iKurd.net, Washington, United States.

The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.