that the show be banned. Radicals now have the upper hand in slowly

[9 that the show be banned. Radicals now have the upper hand in slowly ending Turkey’s centuries-old drinking culture. Or take the AKP’s new Kurdish policy. In an effort to expand its base among Kurds before parliamentary elections next June, the party has emphasized Islam as a common denominator between Kurds and Turks, in order to undermine the secular Kurdish nationalist party. The plan may well help the AKP win the elections. However, it will also invite competition from religious radicals, such as the Kurdish Hezbollah — a violent Sunni group not linked to the Lebanese Shiite group of the same name. Kurdish Hezbollah boasts a wide grassroots network in southeast Turkey. Recently, Kurdish Hezbollah’s leadership, which had been imprisoned since a crackdown in the late 1990s, was released due to a legal loophole. The AKP’s emphasis on Islam may mean it helps replace the secular-nationalist Kurdish movement with a religious- nationalist one. Don’t be surprised if Kurdish Hezbollah begins suggesting that neither the AKP nor Diyanet are “Muslim enough” to represent Kurds. Turkey’s shift is bad news for the United States and Europe. The potential radicalization of the Turkish population is a pressing concern, given that Turkey recently eliminated visa restrictions for citizens of a number of Muslim countries — including Iran, Syria, Jordan and Libya. The move will facilitate cross-fertilization among radical groups in Turkey. Washington should start making contingency plans now to deal with radicals who will challenge the AKP’s cooperation with the United States, particularly in Afghanistan. Turkey’s emboldened radicals will also take issue with Ankara’s European Union policy — as if Turkey’s EU accession plans did not already face enough obstacles. Given the large number of Turkish HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_023505