Öcalan: The power of Modern as Strategos catalyst
Within the triad of concepts, facts, and events, we need both departure and arrival points at each crossroads of our time ,especially in our attempts to interpret the present moment and the contemporary world. In an era where war and violence shape the course of time and define the tone of the present, it is cleary seen that the use of strategy concept has been increasing dramatically. Considering the many phrases to which the concept of strategy has become attached, it becomes evident that there is a necessity on our practices of writing, thinking, and political discourse must be attached to a strategy.The variability of zeitgeist and likewise in the ongoing fluidity of subject and object relations, even our effort to construct meaning can be explained in a strategy which reflects a triad as concept , phenomenon and event. The conceptual framework of strategy and strategos finds critical relevance when considered alongside the Kurdish people’s national condition, Öcalan’s historical positioning, and the unfolding events shaped by the strategic events which he is expected to assume today. This triadic configuratin of concept, phenomenon, and events are expected to be evaluated through its dynamic tensions of convergence and divergence. In addition to these, The ways in which Öcalan, situated within his own historicity, has employed diverse strategic approaches to influence political development and the complex socio-cultural tapestry that underpins his individual sociology deserve to be the subject of a much broader and more nuanced intellectual investigation. Eventually, Öcalan’s messages, his calls to action, the rhetorical power of his discourse, and the forces of resonance and opposition it generates both in terms of their present impact and their historical reach open up a valuable field for comparative reading and critical interpretation.The most evident question has already been this in amongst current strategic evaluations and readings: What kind of a channel did the waters of this source carve in the past, that today there is a renewed need for its flow—whether in the same bed or in a different one? When we consider change in all its dynamics, it becomes clear that ,Öcalan , the massive civil commotion he has led and the symbolic construct built around him have shown their might repeatedly that they preserve their might even as the intellectual and characterological aspects of his figure may have undergone change or transformation over time and We must engage with him through such a perspective.
Eventually, Öcalan retains his position at the nominal level, while the influence of his discourse both in terms of its quantitative reach and intellectual resonance—has expanded to a broader terrain compared to the past. Even while confined as a political prisoner in İmralı Island Prison, the persistent recourse to Öcalan whenever “promises” are at stake and the fact that these appeals consistently produce tangible political events can be explained by the symbolic and strategic weight he continues to carry. The attempts by international powers to configure and redefine the regional order in the Middle East have played a formative role in shaping the functional capacity of the Turkish Republic as a political regime, the geo historical area [géo-historique] where The Kurds are positioned on national scale , contemporary organizational Powers have paved the way for multiple strategies and new conceptual paradigms.Indeed Öcalan has allocated a place for paradigm conceptualization more about ideological characterizations and affiliations after İmralı process. The instance where the messages he conveyed through the delegation that recently met with him were summarized as a block also highlighted the existence of a need for a new paradigmatic designation and his ongoing work on it.
Technically speaking, within a defined strategic framework, and provided that he was not barred from meeting with his lawyers and close contacts, Öcalan turned these meetings into a platform for intellectual exchange, focusing on interpretations of recent history and political analysis. His books, on the other hand, are observed to be grounded in long-term historical reflection and the development of new conceptual frameworks. These two modes of work have taken shape as the strategy of his intellectual concentration, which became more systematic through the İmralı process. Throughout this intellectual conceptualization process, distinctive prominence is given to the circular triads that stand out from Öcalan’s perspective. Considering that each of them has a peculiar focus for themselves, individual, society, organization (state); all circles which became clear in Kurdistan, Middle East and the world scales have a peculiar area for themlselves and Öcalan paradigmatically interprets the intersectional dimensions between the individual, society, and organization/state, as well as the singularities where each operates according to its own principles. In his interpretation, this triad is not confined to Kurdistan, the Middle East, or the global scale; it also contains paradigmatic elements of solution strategies addressing the problems of these three geographic layers. The operationalization of this paradigm, in which democratic principles take precedence especially, begins with the individual and extends to the communicative network arrangements of communities and organically formed structures in various forms.
In this order, any violation disrupting communicative structures—be it individual, gender, nature, institution, law, community, organization, or state—produces inequalities at various levels. These inequalities are identified as the underlying causes of historical and contemporary issues and conflict zones at the local level in Kurdistan, the regional level in the Middle East, and globally on the world scale. The reasons why our purpose to position Öcalan as Strageos contrary to historical and contemporary conflicts and deadlocks can be seen more clearly. The presence of a historical and sociological power in Öcalan, expected to act as a catalyst between the two aforementioned triadic circular elements at different scales, and the reason for probing this power constitute the main factors in referring to him. This reference is made by the movement he founded and the Kurds, by the Turkish state which both imprisons him and is in a conflictual position with the Kurds by the regional regimes and communities in the Middle East due to the fragmented colonial status of Kurds within different nation-states, and, in a cascading manner, by international powers.Therefore, just as individuals harboring expectations towards him, every formal structure also operates within a strategic calculation It remains a matter of curiosity how the newly designated paradigm will embody what kind of call, message, and rhetoric, and which new strategies it will generate by Öcalan’s current date interviews. As a modern strategos who bears the full burden of both war and peace, Öcalan is able to expand his capacity to be recognized and acknowledged at this historical crossroads precisely through his extensive strategic acumen.
Since we have consistently given him the opportunity to test his “power” effectively, there is no point in questioning whether he has misled us or not, because in one sense, strategēgo also entails the capacity for “war stratagem” or cunning tactics. Since we regard the art of war stratagem as a skill of command, we deliberately distance the word “trick” here from its primary, commonly perceived meaning. Whereas “trickery” casts doubt on fairness in a game, in war, stratagem possesses a positive aspect related to strategic genius; therefore, the commander’s use of war stratagem is regarded as an element of military brilliance. Therefore, in a time when political strategies are unleashed upon everyone like a bombardment, our concern is not so much whether the strategists are engaging in political maneuvering, but rather investing in the potential of their strategies to carry us toward a more advanced position. We grasp the strategos to the extent that it offers our emotions and imagination the full spectrum of political gameplay tactics of maneuvering, territorial positioning, and strategic emplacement through a careful reckoning of time, space, conditions, means, methods, and models.
The new horizons of expectation and zones of mobilization shaped by Öcalan’s Kharisma
Each strategos needs an army. The modern strategos is also evolving in response to the changing realities of warfare, becoming increasingly aware of new terrains and emerging needs shaped by the times. Software developers, mechanical devices, trolls, and “virtual spiders” operating within media communication networks form interlinked rings of new military units, compell the strategos to devise novel tactics for exercising control within this emergent techno-political battlefield.Eventually, it remains a persistent expectation that the vanguard will lead its community in the sense of a cohesive unit—toward a more solid and enduring foundation. In a geography like Kurdistan which symbolized by the mountain and marked not only by physical but also political ruggedness.The strategos is expected to possess not just vision, but also a keen sense of intuition, attuned to the diverse and often harsh conditions of terrain and climate. Considering the sharpness of olfaction as a semantic metaphor for political foresight, the vanguard ,namely, the leader commanding the community must exhibit signs of vitality and resilience by metaphorically “sensing the distant” at spatial thresholds such as crossroads, valley mouths, or cliff edges; venturing away from the community toward the unseen; if necessary, exposing themselves to dangerdiscovering the unfamiliar; and then turning back to lead the community.Indeed, The strategos distinguishes themselves by the ability to keep minds as alive and engaged as the body.
Within Öcalan’s charisma, there exists a sociological semantic progression from being a founder to a nurturer, and from comrade and companion to chairman and leader. As embodied in the image of the mountain goat, the strategos is primarily responsible for leading the community to a place and securing a foothold for it. When necessary, they disperse throughout the entire geography, simultaneously creating the possibility of liberation for it. [émancipation : propagationsalvationemancipation] In a world where the earth is perceived as neutral ground belonging to everyone and no one yet simultaneously wild, governed by harsh laws, and marked by each claiming a name and a fragment for themselves, the strategos is the one compelled to secure a place of dwelling, a camp, and a field of work for their community. In this sense, the strategos is not only responsible for securing a land (pedon), a settlement, or a site of encampment (stratopedeia) for their community or unit (stratos), but is also tasked with the creation of a habitus a lived structure of orientation, meaning, and practice.
As a result;
In the light of the metaphors and semantic layers outlined above, the paradigmatic trajectories of Öcalan over the past twenty-five years have once again been presented with opportunities for re-evaluation within the geopolitical landscape of Kurdistan and the Middle East. In a geography transformed into a construction site by wars, regime changes, and the official deformation and reformation of borders, the strategic charisma of Öcalan—along with the messages, calls, and rhetorical elements embedded within it—holds the potential to lead his own community, and others, toward the possibility of life in the “promised” lands. What remains to be seen is how these embedded elements will shape new events and expectations, and how they may reopen and multiply possibilities for resolution—across all relevant actors and interlocutors.
Footnotes
- 1 powerful (a reference to Öcalan’s statement “my position is powerful” in the interview with Mehmet Ali Birand in 1989)
- 2 Strategos (Ancient Greek) Commander, strategy owner, leader, the person leading his alliance and finding
- 3 Land
- 4 One reason we invoke the concept of ‘promise’ [vaad] in articulations that, through onto-theological references, strain toward Messianic horizons, lies in its constitutive function in shaping the horizons of our expectation.
- 5 The status of Rojava, the emerging new forms of governance in Syria, interventions aimed at altering the demographic structure and political authority in Gaza and, by extension, the West Bank amid the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the evolving social dynamics in the Gulf states
- 6 Delegation consisting of Pervin Buldan and Sırrı Süreyya Önder (Member of Parliament from Dem Party)
- 7 Kharisma: (Ancient Greek) Body, charm, admiration; charisma
- 8 The mountain goats, known as pezkovî or pezkofî in Kurdish, have established a distinctive presence within the geography of Kurdistan. Their modes of clinging to deep valleys and high rocky cliffs, along with their “persistent” and “stubborn” behaviors and defensive strategies, are reflected in the multi-layered cultural, linguistic, and mythological structures of diverse ethnic communities in the region. The richness of these patterns is frequently referenced in the archaic markers of Kurdish linguistic and cultural folds in their geo-strategies. Among the pezkofî herds, the leader stands out through their demeanor and conduct when guiding the group through perilous terrain.
- 9 articulation: The context here refers to the composite whole formed not only by Öcalan’s intellectual evolution and focus over his biographical timeline but also by the socio-cultural dimensions encompassing the societal conditions and accumulated experiences.
