The portrayal of the current crisis on the Turkish-Iraqi border by the media and the Turkish government leaves the major issues informing the conflict in south-east Turkey unaddressed.

The reported clashes between Turkish security forces and the PKK in the past week do not comprise an escalation in conflict there, merely an escalation in the rhetoric surrounding such conflict. Clashes have taken place continually in the past number of years, and are caused by an insistence on militarism and violence on both sides. The idea that the PKK is the sole instigator of unrest and violence in the region is mistaken. South-east Turkey is heavily militarised, with many regions remaining in a de-facto state of emergency years after martial law was officially lifted. Basic human rights continue to be violated on a daily basis and there exists an ongoing feeling of mistrust towards the state by many amongst the population. This situation does not lend itself to stability, reconciliation or an end to violence. Both the PKK and the Turkish Security forces are responsible for ongoing militarism in the region and for endangering stability and the lives of those living there.