---
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---


# The Political Thought of Abdullah Öcalan: Kurdistan, Women's Revolution and Democratic Confederalism

## Description

<p class="description">These are the essential writings of a man who inspired a new, egalitarian socialist regime in the Middle East, which is currently fighting for survival against religious extremism and state violence.Abdullah �calan led the struggle for Kurdish liberation for more than 20 years until his capture in 1999. Now, writing from prison in Turkey, he has inspired a new political movement. Called Democratic Confederalism, this revolutionary model is developing on the ground in parts of Syria and Turkey; it represents an alternative to religious sectarianism, patriarchy, capitalism and chauvinistic nationalism, providing the blueprint for a burgeoning radical democratic society.This selection of �calan's writings is an indispensable introduction for anyone wanting to engage with his political ideas. His central concepts address the Kurdish question, gender, Democratic Confederalism and the future of the nation. With The Political Thought of Abdullah �calan, his most influential ideas can now be considered and debated in the light of his continuing legacy, most notably in the ongoing revolution in Rojava.</p>

## Highlights

## The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)







> [!quote]
> use of armed force can only be justified for the purpose of necessary self-defence.
> 











> [!quote]
> Such a deterministic idea of war is neither socialist nor democratic, although the PKK saw itself as a democratic party. A really socialist party is neither oriented by state-like structures and hierarchies nor does it aspire to institutional political power, the basis of which is the protection of interests and power by war.
> 





## New Strategic, Philosophical and Political Approaches







> [!quote]
> . It is not realistic, though, to go for the immediate abolition of the state. This does not mean that we have to take it as it is.
> 











> [!quote]
> Democratic confederalism is understood as a non-state democratic nation organisation.
> 











> [!quote]
> creates the instruments for democratic self-government and control. It is a continuous and long-term process.
> 











> [!quote]
> Thus, it is possible to build confederate structures across all parts of Kurdistan without the need to question the existing borders. •
> 











> [!quote]
> Therefore, women’s liberation must assume a key strategic role in the democratic struggle for freedom in Kurdistan. •
> 











> [!quote]
> women may also be regarded as an oppressed class and nation or an oppressed gender.
> 











> [!quote]
> It would be an illusion to hope for the conservation of the environment in a capitalist system.
> 











> [!quote]
> The freedom of Kurdistan is tied to the democratisation of the Middle East. A free Kurdistan is only conceivable as a democratic Kurdistan.
> 











> [!quote]
> A just redistribution of the economic resources presently in the possession of the state is particularly important for the liberation of society.
> 











> [!quote]
> Economic resources are not the property of the state but of society.
> 











> [!quote]
> One of the main reasons for the decline of society lies in the level of expansion of financial markets. The artificial production of needs, the more and more adventurous search for new sales markets and the boundless greed for ever-growing profits lets the divide between rich and poor steadily grow and enlarges the army of those living below the poverty line or even dying of hunger.
> 











> [!quote]
> frustration over existing conditions is directed against the supposedly weakest members of the society: women.
> 





## The Present Situation and Suggestions for a Solution







> [!quote]
> There is the danger of a regional escalation of the conflict similar in shape to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
> 











> [!quote]
> The ban on Kurdish language and culture, education and broadcasting is in itself a terrorist act and practically invites counter-violence.
> 











> [!quote]
> Both sides must find out what they have done wrong and discuss it openly. This is the only way to achieve the reconciliation of society.
> 











> [!quote]
> state which denies reality will eventually and inevitably find itself on the brink of existence.
> 





## Foreword







> [!quote]
> fascism is on the rise again, most notably in the form of Daesh or ISIS, the so-called Islamic State
> 











> [!quote]
> trying to find more participatory and democratic ways of decision-making and engaging in politics.
> 











> [!quote]
> the scapegoating of religious, ethnic and sexual minorities is being normalised yet again.
> 











> [!quote]
> y the contradiction of the glorifying narratives and accounts of the female fighters while the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) continues to be criminalised in many contexts and accounts
> 











> [!quote]
> Murray Bookchin,
> 











> [!quote]
> people need to have a sense of hope and trust to be able to actually lay down their arms completely. Even
> 











> [!quote]
> pursue radical and participatory democracy within the boundaries of existing nation-states
>
> > [!note]
> > Decentralized
> > 











> [!quote]
> The idea is to pursue radical and participatory democracy within the boundaries of existing nation-states through federation and self-organisation.
> 











> [!quote]
> consensus-oriented and multicultural political framework
> 




