VDM Verlag The PKK: Financial Sources, Social and Political Dimensions

Since the late 1960s, Turkey has been confronted with numerous terrorist activities from various groups, including radical leftists, ethnic separatists, and religious organizations. The most challenging terrorist organization that Turkey has struggled against, however, is the ethnic separatist group known as the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party or “Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan”). Turkey has spent more than $125 billion (USD) to fight the PKK, a group that the United States and European Union recognize as a terrorist organization. There are, however, few good studies of the PKK and its related aliases. The editors of this book seek to address this omission with 12 fine papers that examine the PKK's historical development, its political and social background, and its interactions with media. There is a specific emphasis in the book on the sources of the PKK's financial support, including its involvement in money laundering and smuggling in drugs, cigarettes, and arms.