Duran Kalkan, a member of the Abdullah Öcalan Academy of Social Sciences, shared a comprehensive assessment with Medya Haber TV. The first part of this in-depth analysis can be read here, and the second here.

Democratic politics must flow like a powerful stream

Organizing and education need to be developed much more broadly in every area. Individualism must be overcome. The PKK has thrown its doors wide open. It has halted armed struggle in order to allow democratic politics to function. That means democratic politics must now surge forward with full force. This applies to both the practice of struggle and the development of organization. It must reach every place. There should not be a single corner of Turkey left untouched. The truth must be conveyed to all people. Simply appearing in the media and saying a few things is not enough. People may not even listen. What matters is action.

People ask, “What has changed? What should we do?” The answer is that we must give up some of this individualism and overly materialistic way of living. We must be willing to change ourselves. We must dedicate ourselves to the work. To be credible, we must genuinely embrace socialization and communality. This demands tireless effort, day and night. That is how people are educated.

But it is not happening. The current government applies all kinds of pressure. Resistance to this is minimal. In Kurdistan, not a single tree has been spared. Forests and nature are being destroyed. Occasionally, this appears in the media, but only briefly. Recently, an Ecology Movement was established in Amed. We observed this and we salute it. It is a wonderful initiative, but it came and went. The Ecology Movement cannot be based only at a desk in one city. It must exist everywhere; in the mountains, the gardens, the plains, the villages, the neighborhoods. Wherever life exists, it must be present. Nature is being visibly and systematically destroyed.

There is some resistance, but it is too weak and too fragmented. It must become much more effective. We must cause an uproar over this.

They want to turn Kurdistan into a desert

The trend of moving to cities in such large numbers is not a healthy one. Especially those who have migrated from the villages of Botan, from Zagros, from the rural areas of Kurdistan to the cities. Yes, they have relocated, they have adapted. It was in line with the needs of a previous era. But now, I believe it would be very wise for them to reassess their situation. That is my recommendation. I am not imposing anything or giving orders. But in these cities, there is little to gain. If possible, those who are able should return to their villages, return to their homeland. They should reclaim their mountains, plains, rivers, underground and above-ground resources, and their trees. Life exists with them. A society lives through them.

Living in the cities, disconnected from everything, will not lead to anything meaningful. In this sense, there is a need for careful reflection. If this approach is embraced, there is so much that can be struggled for, so many actions that can be carried out.

The youth and women can take the lead in this. In fact, they should. Everyone should consider this. I offer it as a proposal: reconsider the choice to remain in the cities in that way. Out in the countryside, people can live and produce freely as a community, breathe clean air, and live a beautiful life. That is where true life exists. And it must be protected.

One’s heart truly breaks. It is savage, vile... Treacherous people are trying to destroy humanity itself. Tomorrow the climate will change. There will be no water, no rain, no life. They want to turn beautiful Kurdistan into a desert. These lands, described in the holy books as “paradise,” are being threatened with ruin. We must protect them. That is what patriotism means. That is what it means to be committed to freedom. That is what democratic politics demands. In this respect, better planning and deeper understanding are needed. Instead of constantly saying, “This person did nothing,” or “That group failed,” the real question should be, “What can I do?” Everyone must reflect, make new decisions and plans, come together, get organized, and build a multifaceted struggle. I want to express this as a call to action.

Iran could become the source of conflict everywhere

The Israel-Iran war has become a war that came clearly and loudly, one that was seen coming from afar. The danger of things escalating to this point has always existed. This is tied to the formation of the century-old system of capitalist modernity. It is also related to the Third World War, which came to the fore with the Gulf War that began in 1990–91. More specifically, it is one of the most dangerous outcomes of the process that began with the Gaza War on October 7, 2023.

We evaluated this back then, why it was happening, what was happening. Then it moved to Lebanon; we said, “It will come to Syria.” After reaching Syria, it forked: one end leads to Turkey, the other to Iran. Which one would come to the forefront first? Now it is clear that Iran has come to the forefront. In fact, should this war have happened, was it necessary? We were evaluating it this way, but we also thought, “It shouldn’t happen.” Then we realized that we tend to assess everyone based on ourselves. According to our mentality, our politics, these are acts of murder. They have no place in life. But this mindset of power and state, this mentality and politics, the reality of the nation-state, can bring unimaginable disasters. That’s what we saw.

The capitalist modernity system was threatening Israel, but Iran was a dangerous zone. We used to say, “They might not take such a big risk.” But they did excessively. Now, how far this war will spread, what the outcome will be. It’s not even clear. It might not be possible to handle everything as easily as pulling hair out of butter. People may not be able to achieve what they want as if they had placed it by hand. Iran may become the source of a new fragmentation, of conflict everywhere. In other words, the war could spread. The environment is open to this.

A system that serves the interests of a few

Why did the system of capitalist modernity take such a huge risk? Is the desire for domination and exploitation that great? Energy routes, greater exploitation... They say the arms monopolies will profit, trade monopolies will profit, construction monopolies will profit. Israel is being destroyed, Iran is being destroyed. Tomorrow they’ll come and say, “Let’s rebuild,” from Ukraine to Gaza and wherever else.

Build, destroy again, build again. This is not a system that serves humanity, but one that serves the gains and increased wealth of a few. This is what the merchants are doing. On the other hand, we thought the Iranian leadership might show some foresight. In fact, we evaluated that they did not show enough foresight in Lebanon and Syria. We stand by those evaluations. And we used to say: They failed to assess things, couldn’t see, exaggerated themselves, etc. But now they may be seeing reality a bit more clearly and may act more wisely.

Because when such wars break out, Ali Khamenei had once used the same phrase for Saddam Hussein; he called him a “man without foresight.” “He can’t manage his people.” So someone who said that about another—why is he now acting differently? Why couldn’t he overcome this situation? The same logic is at play: “Me,” “interest,” “power”…

The nation-state mentality is the same everywhere

In the 35 years since the Gulf War, Baath-Nasser nationalism, nation-state nationalism, and Arab nationalism have been defeated and crushed in the Middle East. They couldn’t survive, they showed no foresight, up until the Palestinian resistance. Religious fundamentalism, through al-Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood, and ISIS, was shattered and crushed. Not only did it fail to achieve anything, but it was used for the benefit of the system’s interests.

Now the Iranian, Shiite version of this nationalism and religious fundamentalism is going through the same fate, even though one might have thought it would learn lessons and produce some solutions. It turns out that the nation-state mentality, the mindset of power, is the same everywhere. Power and state authority mean conflict. This cannot be explained solely through the personalities of Netanyahu or Khamenei. They are merely representatives of a system, a mentality, and a political structure. This system must be properly understood. That mentality and politics must be properly evaluated. These bring such a heavy burden upon people. The peoples are coughing up blood. The people are the ones suffering, and clearly, they will suffer even more.