Video COMMENTARY: PKK disarms, can Turkey democratize?

Turkey’s 50 year long terror scare is over. The Kurdish separatist  terror organization PKK  declared an end to armed struggle, and wowed to disband. Yet this historic event is only a means to the end. Turkey must crown this achievement by adopting new legislation to end the second-class status of the Kurdish minority and cease persecution and institutional discrimination.

This next step is troublesome, because majority Turks are not yet ready to accept that Kurds suffer more than them. Also, the pro-Kurdish party DEM has several demands, which will undercut Erdogan’s executive powers.  Essentially, Turkey is at crossroads. One path leads to a new constitution with proper checks and balances and an independent judiciary to oversee its implementation. At the other hand is a very dark future, where the reigning alliance of AKP – MHP refuse to devolve their powers and resort instead to a massive crackdown on all opposition to stay in power forever by eliminating competitive elections. Which path is more likely?