On February 27, 2025, Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), called for the group to disarm and disband, signaling a possible end to the four-decade-long conflict with the Turkish state. A few days later, the PKK declared an immediate ceasefire. This development followed months of preparations and overtures from the Turkish government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, marking what could be a crucial turning point in Turkish politics and the broader region. Joining me unpack the conflict between the PKK and the Turkish state and discussing the various political factors explaining the emergence of this latest ceasefire is Dr. Francesco D’Alema, a Teaching Fellow in International Relations and Security at the School of Government and International Affairs here at Durham University.To learn more about Francesco's research visit his website: https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/francesco-dalema/

Relevant literature:

- Associated Press (AP) 2025. What to know about the latest effort to end Turkey’s 40-year Kurdish conflict. Online at https://apnews.com/article/turkey-kurds-pkk-peace-ocalan-dem-prison-3d6e7e2c0cedcb87d4bd145667d79ae1 [Last accessed: 21st March 2025].

- Christofis, Nikos 2019. The State of the Kurds in Erdoğan's `new' Turkey. Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies 21(3), 251-259.

- D'Alema, Francesco 2024. Turkey's approach to the Arab spring revisited: political field and foreign policy in the AKP era. Turkish Studies 25(5), 806-834.

- Guardian 2025. PKK declares ceasefire with Turkey after more than 40 years of conflict. Online at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/01/pkk-declares-ceasefire-with-turkey-after-40-years-kurdish [Last accessed: 21st March 2025].

Music: The Good News by SHANTI from https://tunetank.com/track/263-the-good-news/