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Democratic Confederalism

by Abdullah Öcalan and International Initiative Edition

Democratic Confederalism is a system of direct democracy where inhabitants of neighbourhoods of towns or villages can participate in decision making at the level that concerns them. Right now, they work in parallel to the state institutions in Turkey. “Democratic Confederalism” may one day be applied to the different parts of Kurdistan, which are now separate from each other in four different nation-states: Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria.

The concept of Democratic Confederalism has been put forward as a political and democratic alternative by the leader of the PKK guerilla, who is imprisoned for life. He denounced the former authoritarian and nationalist ways of his party and proposed an alternative way for the paramilitary organization. Since then, the Kurdish movement considers it more important to have a democratic, tolerant society than to have their own nation-state.

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War and Peace in Kurdistan

by Abdullah Öcalan and International Initiative Edition

I offer the Turkish society a simple solution. We demand a democratic nation. We are not opposed to the unitary state and republic. We accept the republic, its unitary structure and laicism. However, we believe that it must be redefined as a democratic state respecting peoples, cul­tures and rights. On this basis, the Kurds must be free to organize in a way that they can live their culture and language and can develop economically and ecologically. This would allow Kurds, Turks and other cultures to come together under the roof of a democratic nation in Turkey. This is only possible, though, with a democratic constitution and an advanced legal framework warranting respect for different cultures. Our idea of a democratic nation is not defined by flags and borders. Our idea of a democratic nation embraces a model based on democracy instead of a model based on state structures and ethnic origins. Turkey needs to define itself as a country which includes all ethnic groups. This would be a model based on human rights instead of religion or race. Our idea of a democratic nation embraces all ethnic groups and cultures.

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The ecology of freedom: the emergence and dissolution of hierarchy

by Murray Bookchin
“The very notion of the domination of nature by man stems from the very real domination of human by human.” With this succinct formulation, Murray Bookchin launches his most ambitious work, The Ecology of Freedom. An engaging and extremely readable book of breathtaking scope, its inspired synthesis of ecology, anthropology, and political theory traces our conflicting legacies of hierarchy and freedom, from the first emergence of human culture to today’s globalized capitalism, constantly pointing the way to a sane, sustainable ecological future. On a college syllabus or in an activist’s backpack, this book is indispensable reading for anyone who’s tired of living in a world where everything is an exploitable resource.

Murray Bookchin, cofounder of the Institute for Social Ecology, was an active voice in the ecology and anarchist movements for more than forty years.

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