ABSTRACT
Incapacitation (a.k.a. decapitation in certain studies) is a policy that many states confronting terrorism (or other types of political violence) consider in their counterterrorism strategy. Incapacitation constitutes a major part of the strategy of the Turkish state in its struggle against the PKK. In this regard, a specific analysis is conducted of the incapacitation of PKK members and its impact on PKK violence. A VAR concept is created to analyze the interrelated dynamics between two endogenous variables, the PKK-initiated violence and incapacitation of PKK members (the endogeneity between these two variables is analyzed and verified through the related statistical test in Appendix C). This chapter also includes the foundational information (i.e., aim, scope, implementation, targeted population, and principal category) of the incapacitating effort as a policy. It specifically analyzes the overall impact of incapacitating terrorists – as a result of deterrence-based policies – on the violence induced by the terrorist group. It also draws conclusions on incapacitation efforts in an ethnicity-based terrorism case (the PKK conflict) within which there exists a strong psychological and physical bond between the core terrorist group and sympathizing population in the context of an ethnic cause.
