Information and Liaison Bulletin

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Information and Liaison Bulletin INSTITUT KUDE RPARD IS E Information and liaison bulletin N° 371 FEBRUARY 2016 The publication of this Bulletin enjoys a subsidy from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGCID) aqnd the Fonds d’action et de soutien pour l’intégration et la lutte contre les discriminations (The Fund for action and support of integration and the struggle against discrimination) This bulletin is issued in French and English Price per issue : France: 6 € — Abroad : 7,5 € Annual subscribtion (12 issues) France : 60 € — Elsewhere : 75 € Monthly review Directeur de la publication : Mohamad HASSAN Numéro de la Commission Paritaire : 659 15 A.S. ISBN 0761 1285 INSTITUT KURDE, 106, rue La Fayette - 75010 PARIS Tel. : 01-48 24 64 64 - Fax : 01-48 24 64 66 www.fikp.org E-mail: bulletin@fikp.org Information and liaison bulletin Kurdish Institute of Paris Bulletin N° 371 February 2016 • TURKEY: A RECORD OF ALL OUT REPRESSION • IRAQI KURDISTAN: ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES AND A POLITICAL CRISIS • ROJAAVA: WHILE “GENEVA III” FOUNDERS THE KURDISH-ARAB ALLIANCE MAKES FRESH AD - VANCES TURKEY: A RECORD OF ALL OUT REPRESSION st n the 1 of the month covering part of the lens. More - Following publication of this news, the UN Commissioner over, the HDP announced that it while the Turkish Army announced O for Human Rights at had been unable to communicate that it had killed 600 rebels since Geneva expressed in - for the last three days with a group December (it has not been possible dignation and urged of 31 civilians, some of whom to obtain independent confirma - Turkey to conduct an enquiry into were wounded, who had been tion of these figures) the HDP co- the death by shooting of an un - trapped for several weeks in a cel - President, Selahettin Demirtaş, armed group of civilians in Kur - lar in Cizre, which has been under accused the Turkish security forces, th distan. The incident occurred a curfew since mid-December. At on the 9 of “carrying out a mas - about tens days previously at least one of them had died during sacre” in the country’s Kurdish re - Cizre and was revealed by a video the previous two weeks. gion. The Turkish press reported a he described as “extremely shock - raid by the security forces on a ing” which rapidly spread like a On the same day some hundreds building in the Cudî quarter of virus on the web. It shows a group of civilians took advantage of the Cizre on the 7th in which about 60 of civilians led by a man and lifting of the curfew that had been wounded people were trapped for woman carrying a white flag who imposed of the Western quarter of over a week. The Turkish Minister are pushing want appear to be Sur (the walled old town which of the Interior, Efkan Ala, for his corpses on a handcart. Suddenly dates to Roman times) of Di - part describer the reports of civilian the group seems to be struck by yarbakir to flee the fighting area. deaths in a cellar in Cizre as “disin - what appears to be a series of The Eastern part of Sur, however, formation”, adding that “ the place shots, the cameraman’s blood even remains under a 24-hour curfew. (building ) doesn’t even exist ”. • 2 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 371 • February 2016 A war tactic without any consider - this month a campaign (so far un - the inhabitants of the areas con - ation for civilians successfully) to remove the PKK cerned. The Turkish “security” forces have from the official list of terrorist or - been using the same tactics since ganisations. Continuing all out repression the renewal of hostilities: faced Alongside the acts of violence in with the PKK youth who set up A plan of security and development the field and some promises of a barricades and proclaimed “ democ - It is against this background of vio - better economic future in more dis - rd ratic autonomy ”, they besiege the a lence that, on the 3 , the Turkish tant tomorrows, the legal repres - rd quarter or even a whole town, place Prime Minister announced, in an al - sion is continuing. Also on the 3 , a the area under a total and continu - most surrealist manner, that he lecturer of Political Science at ous 24-hour curfew for weeks at an would reveal during his next visit to Ankara University, Resat Baris end and subject it to intense Mardin, a “ security and development Unlu, was charged with “terrorist shelling, sometimes by tanks sur - plan ” for the Kurdish region. The propaganda” after he set his stu - rounding the town Turkish media, moreover, have an - dent a question in an examination nounced that the plan included a paper regarding the PKK’s impris - Some buildings become completely substantial security element with a oned chief. The question was to uninhabitable either because they strengthening of the deployment of compare two articles by Ocalan, have received direct hits from shells the Army and police in towns con - one published in 1978 entitled: that kill civilians in their living sidered to be “sensitive”. Indeed, on “The Way to Revolution in Kurdis - th rooms or because the water, elec - the 6 , Davutoğlu did announce at tan” and one published in 2012, tricity and heating have been cut off Mardin plans to invest 25.5 billion “Democratic Modernity for the — and this in a region with a freez - Turkish lire (about 9 billion euros) — Construction of local Systems in the ing cold climate in winter. Because while still refusing the decentralisa - Middle East”. Indeed, the PKK’s of the curfew, it is strictly forbidden tion called for by HDP or any re - ideas have undergone considerable for anyone to go out into the street, newal of negotiations with the PKK. changes over this period. The so that civilians are caught in a trap. Ankara Prosecutor clearly did not When their supply food and water Since the founding of the Turkish find this a legitimate subject for re - is exhausted many of them have no Republic, the various Turkish gov - flection since he decided to charge other option than to go out to seek ernments from the Kemalist ones to the lecturer with having tried to supplies and the “security forces” the AKP’s, who chosen the military “legitimise Ocalan’s opinions snipers target them for breaching option for “ dealing with ” the coun - amongst his students” and “trans - the curfew. These may be children try’s Kurdish Question have al - mitting the idea that he was a polit - seeking some bread or old people ways announced simultaneously ical leader”. Unlu faces up to seven who have nothing left in their the imminent “eradication” of ter - years imprisonment. homes. Anyone who tries to take rorism and a number of “ develop - th the wounded to a place of shelter is ment plans ” for the Kurdish region. On the 6 , a German-born Kurdish shot at as well. Wounded people What has been the result? Today, 32 footballer in Diyarbakir’s Amedspor who have been unable to find shel - years after the first Army opera - team, Deniz Naki, was targeted — ter in their buildings cellars cannot tions against the PKK in 1984, the the Turkish Football Federation an - be rescued because the troops and PKK is still ever present and Turk - nounced that it had suspended him police forbid ambulances to enter ish Kurdistan continues to suffer an for a year and fined him 6,200 euros the besieged areas. enormous arrears of development for statements of “ ideological propa - compared with the rest of the coun - ganda ” and “contrary to the sport - Faced with such abuses of power try — to such a point that local ing spirit”. What was Naki’s one may well ask, which are the ter - councillors have ended up by boy - offence? He had called, in the Turk - rorists in Turkey? If the State so de - cotting any announcements of this ish daily Evrensel, for the end of the scribes the PKK youth who set up kind … Indeed, the only invest - fighting between the PKK rebels barricades in their quarters of the ment the State made in the Kurdish and the Turkish security forces. how should we describe the force region was the massive “GAP proj - Questioned about his suspension, used by the State to “reconquer” ect” of building dams — a project Naki commented: “ We have no other them and the war-like tactics used that Kurdish local councillors and choice but to call for peace ”. Satellite without the slightest consideration many international experts con - for the civilians, whose “security” sider to be more a matter of pillag - The authorities have also continued they are supposed to be ensuring? ing Kurdistan’s natural resources to their offensive against critical In this context we can understand the benefit of the West of the coun - media. The Satellite RV Channel why over a hundred Members of try than a real attempt at develop - IMC TV, founded in 2011 is consid - the European Parliament launch ment to the that would advantage ered the only pro-Kurdish and anti- n° 371 • February 2016 Information and liaison bulletin • 3• government channel, announced 0While all the parties are agreed on clared that he had the right to expel that the Turks at operator had the need for a Constitutional re - the refugees on his land to the EU stopped broadcasting its pro - view that have serious differences and was threatening to do so. grammes under written court or - on the kind of change required. ders. The Prosecutor’s letter, President Erdogan, backed by his The month was also punctuated by justified this by the character of party, wants a Presidential regime many popular protest demonstra - th “propaganda for a terrorist organi - that would enable him to have ex - tions.
Recommended publications
  • Three Generations of Jihadism in Iraqi Kurdistan
    Notes de l’Ifri Three Generations of Jihadism in Iraqi Kurdistan Adel BAKAWAN July 2017 Turkey/ Middle East Program In France, the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri) is the leading independent research, information and debate centre on major international issues. Ifri was founded in 1979 by Thierry Montbrial, and is an officially recognised non-profit organisation (Law of 1901). It is not subject to any government supervision, freely defines its own research agenda and regularly publishes its work. Using an interdisciplinary approach, Ifri brings together international policy-makers and experts through its research and debates Along with its office in Brussels (Ifri-Brussels), Ifri is one of the few French think tanks to position itself at the very heart of European debate. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s alone and do not reflect the official views of their institutions. ISBN: 978-2-36567-743-1 © All right reserved, Ifri, 2017 Cover: © padchas/Shutterstock.com How to quote this publication: Adel Bakawan, “Three Generations of Jihadism in Iraqi Kurdistan”, Notes de l’Ifri, Ifri, July 2017. Ifri 27 rue de la Procession 75740 Paris Cedex 15 – FRANCE Tel.: +33 (0)1 40 61 60 00 – Fax: +33 (0)1 40 61 60 60 Email: [email protected] Ifri-Bruxelles Rue Marie-Thérèse, 21 1000 – Brussels – BELGIUM Tel.: +32 (0)2 238 51 10 – Fax: +32 (0)2 238 51 15 Email: [email protected] Website: Ifri.org Author Adel Bakawan is a sociologist, associate researcher at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS, in French) in Paris, and the Centre for Sociological Analysis and Intervention (CADIS, in French).
    [Show full text]
  • Istanbul Technical University Graduate School of Arts
    ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES TRANSFORMATIONS OF KURDISH MUSIC IN SYRIA: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FACTORS M.A. THESIS Hussain HAJJ Department of Musicology and Music Theory Musicology M.A. Programme JUNE 2018 ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES TRANSFORMATIONS OF KURDISH MUSIC IN SYRIA: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FACTORS M.A. THESIS Hussain HAJJ (404141007) Department of Musicology and Music Theory Musicology Programme Thesis Advisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. F. Belma KURTİŞOĞLU JUNE 2018 İSTANBUL TEKNİK ÜNİVERSİTESİ SOSYAL BİLİMLER ENSTİTÜSÜ SURİYE’DE KÜRT MÜZİĞİNİN DÖNÜŞÜMÜ: SOSYAL VE POLİTİK ETKENLER YÜKSEK LİSANS TEZİ Hussain HAJJ (404141007) Müzikoloji ve Müzik Teorisi Anabilim Dalı Müzikoloji Yüksek Lisans Programı Tez Danışmanı: Doç. Dr. F. Belma KURTİŞOĞLU HAZİRAN 2018 Date of Submission : 7 May 2018 Date of Defense : 4 June 2018 v vi To the memory of my father, to my dear mother and Neslihan Güngör; thanks for always being there for me. vii viii FOREWORD When I started studying Musicology, a musician friend from Syrian Kurds told me that I am leaving my seat as an active musician and starting a life of academic researches, and that he will make music and I will research the music he makes. It was really an interesting statement to me; it made me think of two things, the first one is the intention behind this statement, while the second was the attitude of Kurds, especially Kurd musicians, towards researchers and researching. As for the first thing, I felt that there was a problem, maybe a social or psychological, of the Kurdish people in general, and the musicians in particular.
    [Show full text]
  • Information and Liaison Bulletin
    INSTITUT KURD E DE PARIS Information and liaison bulletin N° 380 NOVEMBER 2016 The publication of this Bulletin enjoys a subsidy from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Ministry of Culture This bulletin is issued in French and English Price per issue : France: 6 € — Abroad : 7,5 € Annual subscribtion (12 issues) France : 60 € — Elsewhere : 75 € Monthly review Directeur de la publication : Mohamad HASSAN Misen en page et maquette : Ṣerefettin ISBN 0761 1285 INSTITUT KURDE, 106, rue La Fayette - 75010 PARIS Tel. : 01-48 24 64 64 - Fax : 01-48 24 64 66 www.fikp.org E-mail: bulletin@fikp.org Information and liaison bulletin Kurdish Institute of Paris Bulletin N° 380 November 2016 • ROJAVA: THE SYRIAN DEMOCRATIC FORCES LAUNCH THE ATTACK ON RAQQA — TURKEY IS KEPT OUT OF IT • IRAQ: THE VICE IS TIGHTENING ROUND ISIS IN MOSUL • TURKEY: FURTHER CRACKING DOWN ON THE MEDIA WHILE WAR IS BEING WAGED AGAINST THE KURDS • TURKEY: IMPLACABLE REPRESSION OF THE HDP AND ARREST OF ITS TWO CO-PRESIDENTS • DIYARBAKIR PAYS TRIBUTE TO TAHIR ELÇI, LATE PRESIDENT OF ITS BAR AND DEFENDER OF PEACE, ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF HIS ASSASSI - NATION • PARIS: A SYMPOSIUM AT THE SENATE ON STA - TUS OF CHRISTIANS AND YEZIDIS AFTER THE BATTLE FOR MOSUL ROJAVA: THE SYRIAN DEMOCRATIC FORCES LAUNCH THE ATTACK ON RAQQA — TURKEY IS KEPT OUT OF IT n 3 rd November, Talal Turkey were to take part [in the Wrath ”. The operation, that Silo, spokesman of the advance on Raqqa] it would be to would involve 30,000 fighters, Syrian Democratic help ISIS not to fight it”.
    [Show full text]
  • Country of Origin Information Iraq
    COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION IRAQ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) October 2005 This report has been produced by UNHCR on the basis of information obtained from a variety of publicly available sources, analyses and comments. The purpose of the report is to serve as a reference for a breadth of country of origin information and thereby assists, inter alia, in the asylum determination process and when assessing the feasibility of returns to Iraq in safety and dignity. The information contained does not purport to be exhaustive with regard to conditions in the country surveyed, and incomplete, inaccurate or incorrect information cannot be ruled out. The inclusion of information in this report does not constitute an endorsement of the information or views of third parties. Neither does such information necessarily represent statements of policy or views of UNHCR or the United Nations. In particular the use of ethnic-sectarian terms such as ‘Shiite’, ‘Sunni’ or ‘Kurd’ does not constitute an endorsement of sectarianism but merely reflects the current realities on the ground (i.e. these groups should not be considered homogenous entities). ii Table of contents TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................ III LIST OF ACRONYMS ..................................................................................................VII EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................ 1 A. INTRODUCTION
    [Show full text]
  • THE KURDS ASCENDING This Page Intentionally Left Blank the KURDS ASCENDING
    THE KURDS ASCENDING This page intentionally left blank THE KURDS ASCENDING THE EVOLVING SOLUTION TO THE KURDISH PROBLEM IN IRAQ AND TURKEY MICHAEL M. GUNTER THE KURDS ASCENDING Copyright © Michael M. Gunter, 2008. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2008 978-0-230-60370-7 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. First published in 2008 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™ 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 and Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS Companies and representatives throughout the world. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 978-0-230-11287-2 ISBN 978-0-230-33894-4 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230338944 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gunter, Michael M. The Kurds ascending : the evolving solution to the Kurdish problem in Iraq and Turkey / Michael M. Gunter. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Kurds—Iraq—Politics and government—21st century. 2. Kurds— Turkey—Politics and government—21st century. I. Title. DS70.8.K8G858 2007 323.1191Ј5970561—dc22 2007015282 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen
    [Show full text]
  • Iraqi Kurdistan News in Brief Political Yazidi
    Iraqi Kurdistan News in brief Political Yazidi Kurds’ mass grave found in western Mosul Source: NRT TV 1st of Jun 2015 Nineveh – Erbil: Bodies of 80 Yazidi Kurds was found in mass grave in western part of the Iraqi northern city of Mosul, official said. The official to follow Yazidi affairs in Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Hadi Dobani, told NRT that 80 Yazidi bodies, including 33 children and 20 women, were found in Badosh, western Mosul. He told NRT that the bodies might have been buried by the militants of the Islamic State (IS) during its attack onto the region in August 2014. Dobani said findings showed torture on parts of the body and gun shots in the heads of the victims. It is further to mention that more than 11 mass graves have been found in the region after retaking there from the control of IS. Kurdistan receives Iraq’s Anbar refugees through air and land Source: Hawler newspaper 1st of Jun 2015 Erbil: Baghdad Airport released a statement reading that Iraqi airways transported displaced Anbar people to Kurdistan region airports free of charge. Meanwhile, the regional Office of the Ministry of Displacement and Migration announced on Sunday that the Kurdistan capital city of Erbil receives daily about 500 displaced families coming from Baghdad by air. This figure was announced by Aliah Bazzaz, Director of the Regional Office of the Ministry of Displacement and Migration in the Iraqi Kurdistan region and gave this statement to Hawler newspaper. Braham Salih: “Motto would not realize Kurdish independence” ‎Source: PUKMEDIA 2nd of June, 2015 Slemani: The deputy leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), former Kurdistan PM, Braham Salih, asked for close ties between parties in Kurdistan Region and solving intra-PUK tensions and stressed the Kurdish region’s independence is impossible with motto.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Historical Overview
    NOTES 1 Historical Overview 1. Possibly the two best studies of the Kurds in English remain Bruinessen, Agha, Shaikh and State; and McDowall, A Modern History of the Kurds. More recently, see Romano, The Kurdish Nationalist Movement; and Natali, The Kurds and the State. Portions of this chapter originally appeared in other articles and chapters I have published including “The Kurdish Problem in International Politics,” in Joseph, Turkey and the European Union, pp. 96–121. 2. For further discussions of the size of the Kurdish population, see McDowall, Modern History of the Kurds, pp. 3–5; Bruinessen, Agha, Shaikh and State, pp. 14–15; and Izady, The Kurds, pp. 111–20. For a detailed analysis that lists considerably smaller figures for Turkey, see Mutlu, “Ethnic Kurds in Turkey,” pp. 517–41. 3. For a solid study of the Sheikh Said revolt, see Olson, The Emergence of Kurdish Nationalism. 4. For a recent detailed analysis of the Kurdish problem in Turkey, see Ozcan, Turkey’s Kurds. 5. “The Sun also Rises in the South East,” pp. 1–2. 6. For a meticulous analysis of the many problems involved, see Yildiz, The Kurds in Turkey, as well as my analysis in chapter 5 of this book. 7. “Ozkok: Biggest Crisis of Trust with US” Turkish Daily News, July 7, 2003; and Nicholas Kralev, “U.S. Warns Turkey against Operations in Northern Iraq.” Washington Times, July 8, 2003. 8. For recent detailed analysis of the Kurdish problem in Iraq, see Stansfield, Iraqi Kurdistan. 140 NOTES 9. For Henry Kissinger’s exact words, see “The CIA Report the President Doesn’t Want You to Read,” The Village Voice, February 16, 1976, pp.
    [Show full text]
  • Kurdish Islamists in Iraq 5
    5 Kurdish Islamists in Iraq from the MuslimBrotherhood to the So-Called Islamic State: Shaban 1436 June 2015 Continuity or Departure? Mohammed Shareef Visiting Lecturer, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter Kurdish Islamists in Iraq from the Muslim Brotherhood to the So-Called Islamic State: Continuity or Departure? Mohammed Shareef Visiting Lecturer, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter العدد - )اﻷول( 4 No. 5 June 2015 © King Faisal Center for research and Islamic Studies, 2015 King Fahd National Library Catalging-In-Publication Data King Faisal Center for research and Islamic Studies Dirasat: Kurdish Islamists in Iraq from the Muslim Brotherhood to the So-Called Islamic State: Continuity or Departure? / King Faisal Center for research and Islamic Studies - Riyadh, 2015 p 44; 16.5x23cm (Dirasat; 5) ISBN: 978-603-8032-65-7 1- Kurds - Iraq - Politics and government - History I- Title 956 dc 1436/6051 L.D. no. 1436/7051 ISBN: 978-603-8032-65-7 Designer: Azhari Elneiri Disclaimer: This paper and its contents reflect the author’s analyses and opinions. Views and opinions contained herein are the author’s and should not be attributed to any officials affiliated with the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies or any Saudi Arabian national. The author is solely responsible for any errors that remain in the document. Table of Contents Abstract 5 Introduction 7 Kurdish Islamist Parties and the So-Called Islamic State 10 The Muslim Brotherhood and the Beginnings of Islamism in Kurdistan 13 The Emergence of Indigenous Kurdish Islamist Groups 19 The Islamic Movement of Kurdistan and Ansar al-Islam after 1991 27 Kurds in the So-Called Islamic State 35 Bibliography 39 Author Biography 40 3 4 No.
    [Show full text]
  • Nation-State Utopia and Collective Violence of Minorities, a Case Study: PKK from Turkey to Europe Since 1980 to 2013”
    MASTERARBEIT Titel der Masterarbeit “Nation-State Utopia and Collective Violence of Minorities, A Case Study: PKK from Turkey to Europe Since 1980 To 2013” Verfasserin Fatma Gül Özen angestrebter akademischer Grad Master of Arts (MA) Wien, 2014 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 066 824 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt: Masterstudium Politikwissenschaft Betreuter: Doz. Dr. Johann Wimmer 2 3 Acknowledgement I would express my gratitudes to my father Merdan Özen, my mother Kezban Özen and my brother Mert Can Özen for supporting me with their love, and believing in my success from the beginning of my studies in University of Vienna. I would like to thank my supervisor Assist. Prof. Dr. Hannes Wimmer who gave me the chance to work with him on this thesis. With his great supervision and precious encouragement this work has been completed. I would like to send my special thanks to Prof. Dr. Ali Yaşar Sarıbay for his valuable theoretical advices about my thesis. I also thank Prof. Dr. Süleyman Seyfi Öğün for giving me stimulating guidance during my Bachelor's studies. My close friends Gülsüm Cirit, Ahmet Tepehan, and Çimen Akgün have shared my feelings in several difficulties and had fun when I went to Turkey. I would like to thank them for being with me all the time in spite of the long distances. I thank Aydın Karaer, Caner Demirpolat, Ayşe and Furkan Tercan, Nurdan and Idris El-Thalji who made our times enjoyable in Helsinki. I am thankful that Çağdaş Çeçen and Elif Bilici have helped me with the bureaucratic procedures at University of Vienna and made me feel in my old Bachelor's education days in Uludağ University with their sincere conversations on especially theater-cinema and politics.
    [Show full text]
  • The Exclusion of the PYD from the 2016 Geneva III Peace Talks on Syria
    Master Thesis The exclusion of the PYD from the 2016 Geneva III peace talks on Syria Causes and Consequences Lisa Gotoh Student number: 10118330 Universiteit van Amsterdam Master: Politicologie Track: Internationale Betrekkingen Supervisor: Said Rezaeiejan Second reader: Liza Mügge Date: June 24, 2016 The Exclusion of the PYD from the 2016 Geneva peace talks on Syria Lisa Gotoh TABLE OF CONTENT Table of Content ............................................................................................................. 2 List of Abbreviations ...................................................................................................... 4 Abstract ........................................................................................................................... 5 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 6 2 Academic and Societal Relevance ........................................................................... 8 3 Theoretical Framework .......................................................................................... 10 3.1 Conflict Resolution and the Hourglass Model ................................................ 11 3.2 Ohlson’s Causes of War and Peace ................................................................ 14 3.3 Mutually Hurting Stalemate ............................................................................ 15 3.4 Mutually Enticing Opportunities ...................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Radical Islam in Iraqi Kurdistan: the Mouse That Roared?
    IRAQ Briefing Amman/Brussels, 7 February 2003 RADICAL ISLAM IN IRAQI KURDISTAN: THE MOUSE THAT ROARED? I. OVERVIEW extremist group to a significance that does not appear warranted by the known facts. Tucked away in a handful of villages in a remote Despite intense media coverage in the past few pocket of Iraqi Kurdistan, a small group of radical months, little is certain about the group, whose Islamist fighters has been accused of being the fighters have remained secluded in a narrow wedge Kurdish offspring of the al-Qaeda network, and thus of the undulating hills that rise from the Halabja has become a fresh target in the international war on Plain up to the border. Villagers displaced by the terrorism. To compensate for its limited reach and group complain of harsh Taliban-like restrictions popularity, this group, called Ansar al-Islam placed on the population and damage done to local (Partisans of Islam), has built on tenuous regional shrines and institutions. Ansar adherents detained alliances to survive in the harsh mountainous by the regional government claim that the group environment above the town of Halabja in comprises a number of non-Kurdish fighters who northwestern Iraq, just shy of the border with Iran. arrived from Afghanistan following the U.S.-led These alliances have enhanced its role as a minor war against the Taliban in the fall of 2001. They spoiler in predominantly secular Kurdish politics in also describe camps where fighters are trained in the Suleimaniyeh governorate. basic infantry skills and suicide bombings for possible dispatch throughout the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Islamists of Kurdistan: Contradictions Between Identity and Freedom by Khaled Sulaiman
    MENU Policy Analysis / Fikra Forum Islamists of Kurdistan: Contradictions Between Identity and Freedom by Khaled Sulaiman Dec 8, 2016 Also available in Arabic ABOUT THE AUTHORS Khaled Sulaiman Khaled Sulaiman is a writer and journalist based in Canada and originally from Kurdistan, Iraq. Brief Analysis Kurdish Islamist factions may be able to participate more fully in political life, but they must first take a clear stance on religious and social freedoms. D ecember 8, 2016 During the last week of July, the top leaders from major Kurdish Islamist political parties, including the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU), the Kurdistan Islamic Group (KIG), and the Kurdistan Islamic Movement (KIM), convened at the house of Salaheddine Bahaaeddin -- the secretary-general of the KIU -- in Sulaymaniyah. The meeting sought to establish the right conditions to create a shared Islamic front between the three parties, which together have 17 of 111 seats in the Kurdistan parliament. These steps toward rapprochement among Kurdish Islamists came at a time when the geography of Islamist movements started undergoing fundamental changes not only in Kurdistan but in the entire Islamic world. This reorganization has been particularly pronounced by the failure of the moderate Islamist model offered by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Tunisia. Meanwhile, the Turkish Islamist model has turned semi-totalitarian and the Syrian variant has devolved into a political and humanitarian disaster. Because the alliance between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Movement for Change transformed into a political agreement, and the strategic pact between the PUK and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has virtually fallen apart, new political alignments are forming locally.
    [Show full text]