Michael Gunter an Historical Overview to the Kurdish Problem
Michael Gunter An historical overview to the Kurdish problem The Copernicus Journal of Political Studies nr 2 (4), 159-182 2013 The Copernicus Journal of Political Studies 2013, No. 2 (4) ISSN 2299-4335 Michael Gunter Tennessee Technological University, United States AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW TO THE KURDISH PROBLEM ABSTRACT This article presents an overview of the history the largest nation in the world without its own independent state. Nationalist aspirations of an approximately 30 million Kurds living within the borders of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria remain a factor of instability in the geostrategically important Middle East, especially due to the fact that Kurds inhabit areas with strategically important resources. The desire of many Kurds for statehood, or at least cultural autonomy, has led to an almost continuous series of Kurdish revolts since the creation of the modern Middle East state system following World War I. The urdishK problem refers to the fear of the states in which the Kurds live that Kurdish demands will threaten and even destroy their territorial integrity, even though, as the author points out, the Kurds themselves are notoriously divided geographically, politically, linguistically, and tribally. The article is divided into parts, which are devoted to the origin of the Kurdish nation, as well as the history and the current situation of Kurds in Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Europe (the European diaspora). Key words Kurdistan, Kurdish diaspora, Middle East, Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Kurdish Opening, Gulf War 1. Introduction Surrounding the mountainous borders where Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria converge in the Middle East, the approximately 30 million Kurds constitute the largest nation in the world without its own independent state.
[Show full text]