ABSTRACT
The alternative explanations are tested by dealing with the political atmosphere of Turkish politics between 2013 and 2016, during the peace process and its aftermath. On the one hand, in line with the rational choice understanding of realism, I deal with the interests of the negotiating parties, which are AKP government and the PKK. On the other hand, liberal approach simply requires to deal with the relationship between political authority and non-state actors. That is to say, the influence of democratization trend in Turkey and the PKKs ideology and leadership style on the peace process is examined.
