ABSTRACT

This paper discusses the role of pro-state paramilitary groups in Turkey’s Kurdish conflict from the 1990s to the present. The role of paramilitaries in civil wars has been heavily discussed in general but remains understudied in the context of Turkey’s war with the PKK. Turkish state authorities established a number of paramilitary groups in the initial stage of the conflict. Their impact grew during the 1990s in line with the change in the state’s war strategy to a low-intensity conflict (LIC). This article discusses the evolution of the role of pro-state paramilitary groups in Turkey’s war with the PKK, focusing on their changing relationship with government agencies. It characterizes the first half of the 1990s as the paramilitarisation of the state and demonstrates the continuing impact of this into the 2000s. The data was collected from media resources, interviews, criminal prosecutions of national and local cases, and NGO reports. Overall, this article develops a better understanding of the nexus between paramilitarism and the state through the prism of Turkey’s Kurdish conflict.

摘要

本文讨论了从1990年代到现在的亲国家准军事团体在土耳其库尔德冲突中的作用。准军事人员在内战中的作用已被广泛讨论，但在土耳其与库尔德工人党的战争中仍未得到充分研究。土耳其国家当局在冲突初期建立了许多准军事团体。随着该州战争策略向低强度冲突（LIC）的转变，其影响在1990年代逐渐增强。本文讨论了亲国家准军事团体在土耳其与库尔德工人党的战争中作用的演变，重点是他们与政府机构之间不断变化的关系。它把1990年代上半期描绘为国家的准军事化，并说明了这种现象对2000年代的持续影响。这些数据是从媒体资源，采访，对国家和地方案件的刑事起诉以及非政府组织的报告中收集的。总体而言，本文通过土耳其库尔德冲突的视角更好地理解了准军事主义与国家之间的联系。