Beyond the Cold War and East-West Dynamics: Analyzing the PKK’s Agency and Longevity

Through historical and analytical exploration of the complex setting of Kurdish socio- and (geo)political dynamics, this chapter provides a nuanced exploration of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), emphasizing its exceptional position as an armed non-state actor (ANSA). Grounded in theoretical frameworks of ANSAs, the analysis traces the PKK’s evolution amid the multifaceted dynamics of East-West relations during and after the Cold War. Through a “3C” model, a slight modification on the framework proposed in the opening chapter of the present volume, the chapter elucidates the PKK’s agency and its dynamic interactions with different actors, which encompass coercion, co-optation, and control. In doing so, it highlights how the PKK stands out as a chameleonic actor that, by means of different strategies, has managed to survive as an ANSA, while also having political and economic resources, along with visibility on the global stage. The claim is that these dynamics prompted a certain degree of institutionalization that reshapes both non-state and state actors’ (geo)political imperatives.