Abdullah Öcalan Dropping Armed Struggle: A Political Transition or Another Setback in Kurdish History?

In principle, transitioning from armed struggle to political and civil engagement is neither shameful nor irrational, provided that certain conditions are met, and that the political climate, as well as the constitutional and legal frameworks, have matured sufficiently to support such a transformation. In that case, the move to political engagement would mark the fruition of years of armed struggle. However, if this transition fails to achieve the outcomes initially envisioned by the military campaign or falls short of its intended goals, it becomes a setback or, worse, a disaster for the movement or the nation.