Chapter 4

The perception of the PKK in the West

While the PKK is attempting to ingratiate itself with the West by changing their appearance and statements, it is perhaps natural that a mistaken perception regarding the PKK was swift to develop in the West.  The USA, who was in a merciless struggle against communism for years, who has been in a high stakes Cold War with the Soviet Union and fought in Vietnam and Korea to this end, and the Western Powers who supported the US, have included the PKK in the list of terrorist organization because of its communist, terrorist identity. Nevertheless, it is of course a known fact that the PKK was supported by some of the European states for years and that it was quite well organized in those countries. This foreign support the organization enjoyed is certainly one of the most important reasons why the organization could not have been annihilated despite the struggle that has been going on against it for decades. Thus, the PKK was able to find an environment abroad to carry out some of their activities they could not do within Turkey. They could easily disseminate the propaganda of the organization through various television and radio channels, have the articles of the executives of the organization published in various periodicals and were able to create financial sources through front companies. The efforts of Marxist parties, associations and institutions abroad in this regard were significant.

But still, albeit on paper, the USA in particular and other anti-communist countries largely stood against the Marxist identity of the PKK. As we have previously stated, this opposition in the Western countries did not serve the PKK's purpose in time and the change in appearance and statements within the PKK started to manifest themselves after this. Indeed, the mask of Westernism, which mainly targeted to get into the good graces of the USA, substantially opened previously obstructed paths for the PKK. It is not surprising that now some people appeared among writers from the US and Europe who are reckless enough to openly suggest "taking the PKK off the list of terrorist organizations."

The question that should be asked here is the following: Did the USA really believe in this mask? 

Among the government and the deep state of the USA there might be some who really believed in this mask, yet in actual fact this mask served the purposes of many.  So much so, that it is highly probable that this deep state might have a role in this change in identity. Consequently, especially while evaluating the Western point of view towards the PKK, this evaluation should be made in two different aspects:

1) Those who want to use the PKK and;
2) Those who fell into the trap of the PKK.