The Game of Masks: Dissecting Turkey’s Struggle Between Democracy and Despotism Through the Mirror of History

At the heart of contemporary Turkey’s political theatre—where power plays twist like an unfinished jigsaw puzzle—an existential question rises to the surface: are we witnessing the birth pangs of democracy,´-or-merely another chapter in a polished performance of political illusion? This article is a reflective mirror of that central contradiction, as Turkey finds itself caught between the hammer of opportunity and the anvil of catastrophe. The fragile balance between Erdoğ-;-an, Bahçeli, and Ö-;-calan resembles a deadly tug of war on the edge of an abyss—each pulling the “blanket of power” toward their own turf, while the threads of national destiny are spun from doubt and suspicion.

The story begins with a move initiated by Bahçeli, though it wears different masks depending on who’s telling it. In Kurdish discourse, it is “democracy”-;- in Erdoğ-;-an’s narrative, it’s “a terror-free Turkey.” And thus, meaning gets lost in the maze of semantics. Negotiations were launched with delegations to İ-;-mralı-;-, accompanied by calls to lay down arms. But the only true condition for success—improving the democratic climate—quickly turned to a mirage. On the contrary, we saw a shift toward repression: arrests like that of İ-;-mamoğ-;-lu, government-appointed trustees over municipalities, and pressures that harken back to Turkey’s darkest hours. Here, a pressing philosophical question arises: can peace be built upon the ruins of liberty? History answers with a resounding “no,” but politics insists on repeating the question.

Then came the Nationalist Movement Party’s attempt to push through a “general amnesty” as a precondition for the process, only for Erdoğ-;-an to abruptly pull the plug—revealing, in Ö-;-calan’s view, the hidden face of sabotage. At a conference in Germany, Tuncer Bakı-;-rhan revealed how Ö-;-calan had protested a planned trusteeship over the Bar Association, calling it “pre-emptive sabotage.” And here lies the paradox: everyone claims to support the peace process, yet the underlying motives betray clashing agendas. Bahçeli and Ö-;-calan envision a bridge toward peace, while Erdoğ-;-an seems to be silently weaving the fabric of failure with invisible threads.

In the midst of this political theatre, the minutes of the April 21, 2025 meeting between Ö-;-calan and state officials were leaked, revealing his views on Israel, the context of Sı-;-rrı-;- Süreyya Ö-;-nder’s death, and more. Though the DEM party denied their authenticity, their reactions sounded suspiciously like implicit confirmations. Yet the shadow of forgery continues to haunt Ö-;-calan’s previous messages, raising fears of renewed manipulation. More alarmingly, some leaks seem designed to isolate him from the Kurdish public—casting him either as an enemy of the Kurds´-or-an ally of Israel. This is the essence of “digital sabotage,” where words are weaponized.

The second wave of sabotage erupted with the alleged “execution list” of 102 Kurdish figures critical of the PKK, color-coded like a grim return of the ByLock files. Though the story claims these lists were leaked by Kurdish youth within the PKK, the finger-print-s of a grander scheme are visible: the dismantling of Kurdish unity from within.

The scene now resembles a Pushkin painting: repression intensifies—from the arrest of İ-;-mamoğ-;-lu to the stifling of Kurdish voices. But the simplistic explanation—that this is mere authoritarian brutality—obscures a deeper truth. The real cost is the collapse of the entire political landscape, turning Turkey into a massive prison. If the democratic process had succeeded, İ-;-mamoğ-;-lu and Demirtaş-;- would be free, municipalities would no longer be under state control, and political debate would return to the realm of reason. But if it fails, we are likely to witness a despotic tide that drives thousands of Kurds to flee across the sea—echoing the tragedies of the 21st century.

Tuncer Bakı-;-rhan warns: Erdoğ-;-an is heading toward absolute dictatorship, supported by the Nationalist Movement Party, and İ-;-mamoğ-;-lu is merely a victim in a much larger war. It’s the same old strategy: using crises as fuel for consolidating personal rule, just as he did after 2015 and 2016, when the state of emergency turned institutions into decorative façades. Today, the president replays the same dual game: suppressing opposition through arrests while exploiting populist themes like security and the economy to prolong the regime’s lifespan. Even the economy—with Mehmet Ş-;-imş-;-ek’s appointment—has become just another card in the hands of a seasoned player.

In the end, this isn’t merely a democratic deviation—it’s a slow-motion coup hiding beneath glittering slogans. The opposition—especially the CHP—appears to be participating in political suicide by surrendering pivotal issues, like lifting parliamentary immunity, to the ruling bloc. Tuncer Bakı-;-rhan’s final plea boils down to a simple yet urgent choice: peace´-or-war? Democracy´-or-despotism? Because silence today will mean drowning tomorrow in a sea of blood and devastation. And as history reminds us: when words fall silent, only the scream of the people remains—if they dare to scream.

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