INITIAL ASSESSMENT ON THE “EXPANDED PEOPLE’S ALLIANCE”

https://www.tkp.org.tr/en/agenda/initial-assessment-on-the-expanded-peoples-alliance/

This is the initial statement by TKP Central Committee regarding the PKK’s symbolic weapon-burning ceremony on July 11, marking its disarmament, and President Erdoğan’s subsequent remarks on "the peace process" delivered on July 12. "Expanded People’s Alliance" refers to the tripartite alliance mentioned in Erdoğan’s speech, comprising the AKP, MHP (the fascist party), and the DEM Party (political party of the Kurdish nationalist movement). The “People’s Alliance" has been originally the name of the existing alliance between the AKP and the MHP.

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1. At this stage, we affirm—and will continue to affirm—that the cessation of armed conflict is a positive development. However, as we have always stated, what truly matters is the political orientation and content of such a process. Contrary to common belief, conflict and non-conflict, war and peace are not necessarily opposites; in many cases, they complement one another. Just as the dynamics of war matter, so too does the substance of peace. Now that a historic reconciliation has been declared between the state and the PKK, it is time to discuss the political direction and content without any limitations.
2. It took only a few months for state institutions to shift from using phrases like “terrorist organization” and “baby killer” to “founding leadership” and “organization”—even adding the honorific “Mr.” Such a language shift has indeed removed the hostile, divisive rhetoric that labeled the issue as mere terrorism. But what we now face is an alternative discourse that lacks seriousness, sincerity, and coherence. The government employed a similar playbook in its dealings with the Gülen movement: for years they defended the “community,” persecuted those who exposed its true nature, purged anyone within the state who questioned “the Hocaefendi,” jailed journalists, and filed thousands of defamation suits. Then, overnight, it became a crime not to say “FETÖ” (abbreviation of Fethullahist Terrorist Organization). These sharp turnarounds are not only insincere, but also devoid of content. Indeed, nine years on, the so-called fight against FETÖ has been reduced to a hollow, incoherent spectacle.
3. There is no mystery as to the agenda the recently proclaimed “Expanded People’s Alliance” seeks to advance. We know its constituents well. What binds them together is the shared interest in unfettered exploitation and plunder—in other words, a commitment to the capitalist market economy. They are united in their allegiance to NATO. They are united not by faith, but by the opportunistic exploitation of religion and a system built on sectarianism. They are united by neo-Ottoman fantasies. Just as Turkey was driven into crisis during the “fight against terror” by corporations, religious sects, and imperialist powers, it is now being led into a new impasse—this time under the banner of a “terror-free Turkey.”
4. TKP categorically rejects the framing of the question: “Are you for or against the process?” The mere acceptance of this framing leads, inevitably, to a false position—no matter the answer.
5. It must be understood that what is being sought across the region—including Israel—is a “peace of capital.” That is why intelligence-backed figures like Sharaa have been elevated in Syria. That is why there is pressure to bring Iran to its knees. That is why the most resilient elements of the Palestinian resistance are being eradicated. The United States, the United Kingdom, France, Israel, and reactionary Arab regimes may compete with one another, but they are also jointly working to establish a “Middle East regime” that will facilitate the plunder of Iraq, Syria, Palestine, and Lebanon, and fully exploit the labor of the region’s impoverished and displaced peoples. This regime can be built through division or submission. What matters is creating conditions for multinational corporate profits and the perpetuation of imperialist hegemony.
6. Backed by monopolies and religious sects, AKP is inserting Turkey into chaos through a neo-Ottoman lens. The government has been welcomed into this new order precisely because it does not challenge the “peace with Israel,” and because it has reduced its frictions with NATO and the U.S. The real opportunity being offered is not to Turkey, but to the neo-Ottoman project, to our opportunistic capitalist class, and to religious reactionism. What lies ahead is not only ruthless exploitation, astronomical corporate profits, and unrestrained plunder, but also intensifying rivalries and new wars. Under the guise of “regional ambition,” the Expanded People’s Alliance is preparing for these destructive and uncertain conflicts. This, they claim, is “peace.” It is clear that a “reconciliation” or “alliance” seeking to settle accounts with the Republic of 1923 will leave our country and people defenseless in this competition.
7. Those who believe that a viable project for democracy and unity can emerge from a compromise among forces that seek to undo 1923 are profoundly mistaken. Equally misguided are those who think this destructive trajectory can be stopped without confronting capitalism head-on—without openly setting the overthrow of the capitalist system as a goal, and without engaging in a principled, consistent struggle against imperialism.
8. It is imperative that Republicans rise up around a coherent and convincing program. TKP insists that such a program must decisively break from the system of monopolies and religious sects. There is no alternative. The struggles for secularism, independence, and republicanism must be waged hand-in-hand with the struggle for equality.
9. The “Expanded People’s Alliance” speaks of Turkish, Kurdish, and Arab brotherhood. But this is a brotherhood of capital and religious sects. Unless the Republican legacy in Turkey confronts its own ingrained hostility toward Kurds and Arabs, it cannot prevent the devastation this false narrative of brotherhood will bring. If the Republic of Turkey is to become a place where all peoples live together in peace and equality—if we are to develop an effective antidote to the poisonous identity politics being systematically spread—then we must forge a common struggle, a shared path, and a unified political language that enables every citizen of this country to say, “The Republic of Turkey is my homeland too.”
10. This darkness will not last. The people will rise.