The most critical consequence of the Syrian uprising for Turkey is the “regionalization of the Turkey’s Kurdish problem.” Last July after the Damascus regime abandoned most parts of the Kurdish region, Syrian Kurds took over the control of Kurdish-populated towns and villages and launched an experiment in autonomy that is ongoing.
There is a powerful reason why this development means regionalization of Turkey’s own Kurdish problem: The Democratic Union Party [PYD] that is steering developments in Syria’s Kurdish region has the largest popular base, is the best organized and has the strongest military arm, and it is the Syrian branch of Kurdish Workers Party [PKK] that has been waging armed struggle against Turkey’s central authority for the past 28 years.
