Editor’s Note
Oxford United may have decided to delay their move from the Kassam Stadium for another two years, but global affairs haven’t been so static. From Kurdistan to Europe, the Outside OX1 team has got you covered for what’s been going on in the world this week.
After over four tumultuous decades of violence and instability, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party has decided to disband. The decision beings an end to a conflict which has led to the deaths of over 40,000 people, and signals a new chapter in Kurdish-Turkish relations. But it could also help Erdogan secure domestic support and stay in power past 2028. In the light of recent protests, just how important will Monday’s announcement prove for stability in Turkey?
Meanwhile Brexit is still shaping the European Union’s relationship with the United Kingdom. One of the major benefits of leaving the EU was the freedom gained over fishing. But as the EU lost over £100 million between 2021 and 2023 with their loss in quota shares, they are calling for a change in UK policy. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is resolute in standing firm against such demands, but how will this impact his relationships abroad?
From the UK to Germany, the strength of European relations are being tested this week. Following Chancellor Merz’s rocky election win, he has been keen to establish Germany’s position on the global stage. While a meeting in Kyiv between the “coalition of the willing” demonstrates strength in unity, other issues—particularly migration—are putting European ties under strain. So how will Merz and other leaders navigate these obstacles?
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party Disband After 40 Years
Daniel Burns
After more than four decades of violence, the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) has announced their intention to disarm and disband. The announcement on Monday 12 May supposedly ends the Kurdish armed conflict with Turkey and begins a new chapter in the Kurds’ fight for recognition.
Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan has praised the decision as “an important step” in the peace process. He added, however, that disbanding the group would need to be “meticulously monitored” if it is to be successful, indicating that there is still work to be done to secure a long-lasting solution.
Established in the late 1970s during a time of great political violence within Turkey, founder Abdullah Öcalan’s original mission for the PKK was to create a homeland for the Kurdish people. Taking up arms in 1984, they have been battling the Turkish government ever since. Designated a terrorist organisation by the EU, U.S. and UK governments, the PKK claims to represent the Kurds, who currently make up about 20 percent of Turkey’s population.
Fast forward 41 years and 40,000 people—mostly Kurds—have died as a result of the conflict. The PKK’s only substantial gain has been bringing the Kurdish issue to international attention. Öcalan has been imprisoned in an island off Istanbul since 1999 where he has managed to retain his influence over the group.
Over the last few years, Turkish military developments, namely drone attacks, have effectively pushed PKK insurgents into surrounding countries such as Syria and Iraq. Given recent changes to Syria and Iraq’s administration, the PKK are now “more vulnerable than in the past,” according to Sinan Ulgen, director of the Edam think tank in Istanbul. This has resulted in the group’s ability to destabilize Turkey to become increasingly limited.
On 27 February 2025, Öcalan called for the disarmament and disbandment of the PKK. Mediation efforts, led by Devlet Bahçeli, a key ally of Erdogan, have also been underway since autumn of last year. After a few months of deliberating, the other PKK leaders have decided to follow Öcalan’s order.
Experts speculate the agreement could have positive political implications for the Kurds; it could lead to Öcalan’s imprisonment terms being made more lenient, as suggested by Bahċeli, as well as the release of Kurdish politicians such as Selahattin Demirtas.
As for Erdogan, it could help him secure enough support for his desired further change to the constitution, which would allow him to run for president again in 2028. Erdogan has already been in power for 23 years. Additionally, it could help soothe domestic tensions after controversy arose following the arrest of Erdogan’s main opponent, Ekrem Imamoglu, based on corruption charges. Gonul Tol from the Middle East Institute in Washington stated that “without any road accidents, [the peace process] will be a huge win for Erdogan.”
The PKK also claim to have achieved their “historic mission”, bringing “the Kurdish issue to the point of resolution”, as stated in Monday’s announcement. Shortly after, dozens of people were seen dancing outside a mosque in the majority Kurdish city of Diyarbakir. Resident Tekin Ergin said “the people of this region are tired of this war.”
Secretary-General of the UN António Guterres has labelled it an “important step towards the peaceful resolution of a long-standing conflict.”
While Monday’s decision brings violence to an end for now, there is still much to be resolved; memory is still fresh from efforts in 2015 that ultimately fell through. PKK executive committee member Duran Kalyan said “this is not the end, it is a new beginning.”
Fishing Disagreement Threatens EU-UK Cooperation on ‘Brexit Reset’
Elana Roberts
Ahead of the EU-UK summit to be held in London on 19 May, the ‘Brexit reset deal’ has reached an obstacle; EU member states have called for the UK to change its standpoint on… fishing?
To understand why such a seemingly trivial matter has caused international tensions to rise ahead of a crucial summit on defence, we have to return to 2020.
The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) was negotiated by Boris Johnson’s government and signed on 30 December 2020. The TCA allowed reciprocal access between EU and UK marine territories for fishing under certain conditions until June 2026. After this point, the EU’s access to UK waters would be reviewed annually.
After Brexit, the UK exited the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy, which gave EU fishers a higher quota share of the total catch available in UK marine territories. While the EU still had some quota shares under the TCA, they have been steadily decreasing and the resultant economic impact has been significant. Between 2021 and 2023 alone, the reduction in UK quota shares cost the EU €107m.
Regaining control of fisheries and increasing the quota shares of the catch held by the UK was a significant benefit associated with Brexit. It is a benefit that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer seems reluctant to compromise on, even as he works to negotiate deeper connections with the EU in security and defence cooperation.
France and the Netherlands have been most significantly impacted by the EU’s limited access to UK waters. As a result, they are the most outspoken critics of the UK’s plan to reduce EU quota shares and hold power to change the conditions of the agreement every year.
In an attempt to force Starmer’s hand on the issue and make the TCA longer lasting, the EU member states have called for a reciprocal time limit on a proposed new Sanitary and Phytosanitary deal (SPS). This deal is designed to improve ease of food and plant exports from the UK to the EU.
Many large supermarket chains in the UK have been campaigning for the SPS to be established, but it would only be useful if it was in place for a longer period of time. Consequently, many are concerned that EU reluctance on the matter could lead to an uncomfortable stalemate.
While we must wait until Monday to see how the UK and EU respond to each other, the seemingly small matter of fishing has revealed a greater factor at play. It is clear that both sides have vastly different understandings of what their relationship will be moving forward.
Germany’s New Chancellor Signals Fresh Start for European Unity
Isolde Sellin
Six months after the collapse of the so-called ‘traffic light’ coalition, Germany has a new government—led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the conservative CDU/CSU.
His election, however, was far from straightforward. For the first time in postwar German history, a chancellor failed to secure a parliamentary majority in the first round of voting. Eighteen MPs from Merz’s own governing coalition, which includes the Social Democrats (SPD), withheld their support in the secret ballot; he was ultimately elected in the second round. At 69, Merz becomes Germany’s second-oldest chancellor, following Konrad Adenauer.
Just one day after swearing-in on 6 May, Merz set out to demonstrate his foreign policy priorities. On Thursday, he traveled to Paris to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, pledging a renewed “Franco-German push” to strengthen Europe.
In the face of both the Russian threat and the unpredictability of Donald Trump’s trade policies, the trip appears to be Merz signaling his aim to secure Germany’s political position, and make Germany more economically competitive on the global stage..
Later the same day, Merz visited Warsaw to strengthen ties with Poland’s government under Prime Minister Donald Tusk. However, the meeting also highlighted points of friction. Merz has previously promised to implement significantly stricter migration policies—a move that could include tighter border controls and the return of asylum seekers to neighboring countries, including Poland.
Tusk, who is facing a presidential election next week, made it clear that Poland would not accept migrants returned from Germany. While the Merz government has insisted that any new border measures will be coordinated with European partners, the new Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has already announced a tougher stance. “We will control the borders more strictly,” he said last week, which “will also lead to a higher number of rejections.”
It seems migration could be a key obstacle in fulfilling Merz’s promise for a strengthened and united Europe.
Over the weekend, Merz continued to reinforce his ambitions for Germany. Together with Macron, Tusk, and UK Labour leader Keir Starmer, he traveled to Kyiv as part of the so-called “coalition of the willing”—a group of European leaders committed to supporting Ukraine.
In Kyiv, the four leaders, joined by other European leaders participating online, jointly demanded a 30-day ceasefire from Russia. Additionally, they threatened new sanctions designed to further cripple the Russian economy. Even former U.S. President Donald Trump voiced his support for the demand.
In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected the unconditional ceasefire and instead proposed direct negotiations in Istanbul, signaling his own attempt to reclaim control of the narrative. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he wants to go to Istanbul, although the Kremlin has since confirmed that Putin will not be present.
Merz has kept his promise to focus on foreign affairs. While he has swiftly positioned Germany as a central player on the European stage, questions remain about how his domestic agenda—particularly on migration—will align with his vision of unity.
With Europe at a crossroads and his own coalition already showing cracks, Merz’s leadership will be tested not only by global crises but by his ability to maintain cohesion within Germany’s borders.