Anarchy in Kurdistan?

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party,
or PKK, has been active in the Kurdish parts of Turkey since the
’70s. It has a sometimes sordid history: Its politics were
Marxist-Leninist, and its willingness to kill prisoners and
civilians earned a
rebuke from Amnesty International. Its leader, Abdullah Öcalan,
has been under arrest since 1999, but its armed struggle with the
Turkish state continued until a ceasefire was reached last
year.

I was vaguely aware of all that, and I may even have read at
some point that Öcalan had recently rejected his old Leninist
outlook and terrorist tactics, proclaiming a newfound devotion to
democracy. What I did not realize was what brand of democracy had
attracted Öcalan’s interest. Somehow, he became smitten with the
American left-anarchist Murray Bookchin.
He appears to be particularly interested in Bookchin’s idea of
devolving power to cities governed by
neighborhood assemblies.

I just called Bookchin an anarchist, but by the time he died
Bookchin had rejected that label, calling himself a “Communalist”
instead. But I’m not writing this post to discuss Bookchin’s
ideas—the curious reader can check out my obit for him here
and Reason‘s interview with him here—so much as
just to express my astonishment to see Bookchinism bubbling up in
the PKK, of all places.

ROAR has more on Öcalan’s evolution here.
Bookchin’s partner Janet Biehl discusses these developments

here. Some left-anarchists greet the PKK’s conversion with a
mixture of interest and skepticism
here. Kevin Carson is enthusiastic here. The most blistering
critique of Bookchin ever written is
here. A latebreaking correction to my Bookchin obit is here.