The Turkish Constitution and the Kurdish Question

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace released a report entitled, “The Turkish Constitution and the Kurdish Question,” a publication that delineates the demands of Kurdish people in regards to rewriting a new Turkish constitution.

The previous constitution was approved in 1982 as a result of a military junta. Drafting a new constitution in an attempt to quell grievances is just the first step, however, and the Kurds outline three main demands they’d like to see met:

• change the constitution’s emphasis on Turkish ethnicity
• remove the prohibitions on cultural and political rights and,
• reduce excessive administrative centralization

Without the creation of a new constitution, Kurds will continue to feel discriminated against and not included in Turkish affairs. Inclusion via rewritten rhetoric in a new constitution, the report concludes, is the first and most important step in bridging the gap between Turks and Kurds.