Kurds and Turks are closer than ever to peace

Putting ASSAULT rifles in a giant cauldron and setting them on fire might not be the most sensible way to dispose of the things. Given the context, however, you could forgive the 30-odd Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters, half of them women, who did so on July 11th outside a cave in northern Iraq, for engaging in a little pageantry. After more than four decades and 40,000 dead, the war between Turkey and the PKK, one of the world’s longest-lasting conflicts, seems to be drawing to a close. The PKK is expected to continue to disarm over the summer, on the orders of its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan. A parliamentary commission in Turkey will oversee the process. An amnesty for some PKK leaders may be on the table.