In this paper I present a comprehensive evaluation of the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) policy towards the Kurdish movement, led by the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK). I begin the paper by examining the historical background of the Kurdish conflict, which has been integral in defining the framework of the current conflict and negotiations. My policy analysis is concerned with the time period following 1999, when the PKK’s undisputed leader Abdullah Öcalan was captured, which offered new opportunities for a solution. To complete my policy analysis, I use historical sources on the Kurdish conflict within Turkey, information on the AKP’s policy initiatives, such as the Kurdish Opening in 2009, and current news articles on the AKP and PKK. I also use data on Turkish election results in order to establish trends in Kurdish voting patterns and the AKP’s popularity. After evaluating the AKP’s policy towards the Kurds, I present future prospects for a solution. I ultimately posit two conclusions. First, political means are necessary for a solution to the Kurdish conflict in Turkey. Since Öcalan’s capture in 1999, the desire for a political solution has been present in both Kurdish and Turkish populations, and the Kurdish movement has largely sought a political solution to its goals. Second, the AKP has been the Kurdish movement’s best option as a partner for peace due to its reformist orientation and its status as the dominant party within the Turkish political system. Although the AKP has implemented various reforms aimed at solving the Kurdish Question, these reforms have rarely gone beyond mere recognition of the Kurdish conflict. Thus, the Kurdish movement is unlikely to realize a lasting peace, thereby threatening domestic and regional stability, until the AKP ceases its practice of subordinating meaningful solutions to the Kurdish Question to other political considerations.