Today, winning the hearts and minds of the Kurdish people living in all four neighboring countries is the most important objective for Turkey. As most Kurds are frustrated with the decades-long PKK terror wreaking havoc on their daily lives, they will largely welcome Turkish troops taking out hard-core militants so that peace and stability can finally come to Kurdish areas.
It is difficult to make sense of the various sources and their views on reports of Kurdish maneuvering in Iraq and Syria. It is important to point out that while apparently most Kurds want a Kurdish State, the Kurds are not united. They have numerous political parties, the KDP and PUK being the largest ones, and their relationship with the PKK varies depending on the realpolitik issue in currency.

Key issues that I think bare watching:

- Arab Spring emboldens Kurdish ambition for nationalism (now or never view)

- The various Kurdish parties will likely struggle with each other for power creating opportunities for exploitation by state actors in the region.

- Turkey making direct deals for oil with Kurds without going through Baghdad, which infuriates Baghdad.

- Kurdish peshmerga preventing the Iraqi Army from sealing the Syrian-Iraqi border.

- Maliki is pro-Assad, while Barzani is pro-resistance and is offering support to the resistance from Iraq. Where does Iran stand on this? What actions will they take?

- PKK is increasing it level of activity in Turkey, while KDP and Turkey appear to be reaching an agreement, yet reports of the KDP and PKK making a secret deal.

- Same as it has been for years, the Kurds will be a player, but they will be leveraged by other non-state actors, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Israel, and probably the U.S.. Without unity how much power will the Kurds ultimately have?

http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/14...-oil-deal.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012...maliki-barzani