Introduction

The Kurdish issue has long haunted the Middle East, reflecting the complex regional ethnic conflicts that has given rise to the Kurdish resistance and independence movement.

Kurds

Ethnicity

Kurd are an Iranian ethnic and linguistic group living in the Taurus Mountains of southeastern Anatolia, the Zagros Mountains of western Iran, portions of northern Iraq, northeastern Syria, and western Armenia, and other adjacent areas.

The Kurds are an ancient ethnic group living in the Middle East, with a recorded history dating back to the 3rd century BC.

Kurdistan

These geographically contiguous areas of Iran, Iraq, and Turkey where the Kurds live is known as Kurdistan (“Land of the Kurds”). Kurdistan, covers a total area of 392,000 square kilometers, including parts of Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran.

Map Source: https://brilliantmaps.com/kurds/

Kurds have never achieved nation-state status, making Kurdistan a non-governmental region and one of the largest stateless nations in the world.

Area and Population

1. The number of Kurds in the four countries totals about 28 million. 
2. The eastern and southeastern parts of Turkey are called “North Kurdistan,” an area of about 190,000 square kilometers with a Kurdish population of about 15 million; northern Iraq is known as “South Kurdistan,” an area of about 125,000 square kilometers with about 7 million Kurds; the northeastern region of Syria is known as “West Kurdistan” or “Rojava Kurdistan,” an area of about 12,000 square kilometers with a Kurdish population of about 2 million; the northwestern region of Iran is called “East Kurdistan,” an area of about 65,000 square kilometers with about 4 million Kurds. 
3. Besides, about 2 million Kurds have settled in Europe, Transcaucasia and North America.
4. Kurds make up about 10% of the population in Syria, 19% of the population of Turkey, 15-20% of the population of Iraq and are the second largest ethnicity in Iran.

Kurd Language

Kurdish language is one of the Indo-Iranian languages, chiefly spoken in Kurdistan by some 20–40 million people. There are three main dialect groups. Kurmanji or the Northern Kurdish is spoken from Mosul, Iraq, into the Caucasus and written in Latin characters. Central Kurdish, called Sōrāni is spoken within a broad region from Orūmīyeh, Iran, to the lower reaches of traditional Kurdistan in Iraq and is usually written in a modified Perso-Arabic script. Southern Kurdish, also called Pehlwani, consists of a number of less-studied dialects.

Kurd Religion

Majority of Kurds belong to the Shafi‘i school of Sunni Islam. Minorities practice Shia Islam, Alevism, Yarsanism, Yazidism, Zoroastrianism and Christianity.

Chronology of Events of Kurdistan

1. In 1880, Kurds under the leadership of Sheikh Ubeydullah rose to fight for an independent Kurdistan and that uprising was put down by the Ottoman Empire and the Qajar dynasty of Persia collectively.
2. The Treaty of Sèvres – After World War I, the Treaty of Sèvres on August 10, 1920, outlined the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and and called for the recognition of new independent states, including an autonomous Kurdistan, however this was never ratified. The Kurdish political forces in the four countries have used it as a legal justification for an independent Kurdish state.
3. The Treaty of Lausanne – On July 24, 1923, the Allies and the former Ottoman Empire signed and ratify the Treaty of Lausanne, which recognized Turkey as an independent nation, however, the Allies dropped the demands for an autonomous Turkish Kurdistan and the Kurdish region was eventually divided among several countries.
4. Turkish actions against Kurds – After the overthrow of the Turkish monarchy by Kemal Ataturk, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq each agreed not to recognize an independent Kurdish state. The Kurds received especially harsh treatment at the hands of the Turkish government, which tried to deprive them of Kurdish identity by designating them “Mountain Turks,” outlawing their language and forbidding them to wear traditional Kurdish costumes in the cities, a direct attack on their culture. The government also encouraged the migration of Kurds to the cities to dilute the population in the uplands. Turkey continues its policy of not recognizing the Kurds as a minority group.
5. Kurdish kingdom in Sulaimaniya – In 1923, former Kurdish Governor Sheikh Mahmud Barzinji staged an uprising against British rule, declaring a Kurdish kingdom in Sulaimaniya in northern Iraq which was crushed by the British Forces in 1924.
6. The Kurdish Republic of Mahabad – In December 1945, under Soviet auspices, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) was established in Mahabad (Iran). The KDP announced the establishment of the “Mahabad Republic,” with Qazi Muhammad as the President and Barzani as commander of the Kurdish forces. In December 1946, the Iranian Pahlavi Dynasty wiped out the “Mahabad Republic” capturing and hanging Qazi Muhammad while Barzani went to the Soviet Union in exile.
7. Kurds autonomy in Iraq – After Iraq’s 1958 revolution, a new constitution declared Arabs and Kurds as “partners in this homeland.” In 1961, Iraqi government dissolved KDP and quelled the rebellion in northern Iraq. In March 1970, a peace agreement between Iraqi government and Kurds granted the Kurds autonomy and recognized Kurdish as an official language. An amendment to the constitution stated, “the Iraqi people is made up of two nationalities: the Arab nationality and the Kurdish nationality.”
8. Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) 1975 – In June 1975, Former KDP Leader Jalal Talabani formed the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Damascus. The Kurd’s independence movement in Iraq was divided into two factions, namely the KDP and the PUK. Both parties constantly sent their cadres to the Iraqi Kurdistan to re-establish grassroots organizations and to re-create armed forces.
9. Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) 1978 – In Turkey in November 1978, Abdullah Öcalan established the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) with the ultimate goal of an independent and unified Kurdistan state. , but different development stages such as greater autonomy and confederation were allowed. Under the leadership of Öcalan, the PKK established the People’s Defense Forces (HPG) and the Women’s Liberation Army (YJA) which fought for Kurdish independence since 1984. In 1998, Öcalan was captured bu Turkish agents in Kenya and Cemil Bayik was declared as the PKK’s leader.
10. Operation Anfal (“spoils” in Arabic) 1988 – Iraq retaliates against the Kurds for supporting Iran during the Iran-Iraq war. In order to quell Kurdish resistance, the Iraqi military uses large quantities of chemical weapons on Kurdish civilians, destroying more than 4,000 villages and killing more than 100,000 Kurds. Iraq used poison gas against the Kurdish people in Halabja in Northern Iraq, killing thousands of people.
11. Gulf War 1991 – At the beginning of 1991, the two Kurdish forces in northern Iraq launched an uprising during the Gulf War, but it was suppressed by the Saddam Hussein regime. A “No-Fly zone” set up by the United States, Britain and France in northern Iraq protected the Kurds and the two factions started to establish “a state within a state” in their respective controlled areas. 
12. Civil War 1994-97 – From 1994 to 1997, the KDP and PUK fought a three-year civil war in northern Iraq, which eventually ended in reconciliation due to the United States’ mediation. In September 1998, the two factions signed the Washington Agreement, promising to build an autonomous region together.
13. Control of Iraqi Kurdistan – The Iraqi Kurdistan is controlled and governed by the KDP and the PUK. The capital is Erbil, where the legislature, the judiciary and other departments of the Kurdish autonomous government are situated. Dohuk and Erbil governorates are controlled by the KDP while the PUK controls Sulaymaniyah and most of Diyala.The KDP and the PUK mainly relies on their own respective Armies known as Peshmerga (Persian/Kurd term for in-front-of-death).
14. Fall of Saddam Hussein 2003 – The Kurds joined U.S. and British forces in defeating Saddam Hussein’s regime. Four Kurds were appointed by the U.S. to the Iraqi Governing Council, including Barzani and Talabani. US captured Saddam Hussain with the help of Kurds.
15. Power Sharing Formula – After overthrowing the Saddam regime in 2003, the two parties reached an agreement on power sharing of the Iraqi central and Kurdish governments. The President of Iraq would be exclusive for the PUK, while the President and the Prime Minister of the Kurdish autonomous region are members of the KDP. Therefore, former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and current President Fuad Masum are both PUK leaders, while President of the Kurdistan Regional Government Massoud Barzani and Prime Minister Nechirvan Idris Barzani (nephew of Massoud Barzani) are both from the KDP.
16. Iraqi Constitution 2005 – Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani was selected the Iraq’s president by the transitional national assembly. The 2005 Iraqi constitution upheld Kurdish autonomy, and designated Kurdistan as an autonomous federal region.
17. Oil for Turkey 2013 – Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani negotiated a framework deal to export oil and gas to Turkey from Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) directly into Turkey, allowing the KRG to be a competitive supplier of oil to Turkey.
18. War against ISIS 2013-17 –  ISIS or ISIL or Islamic Caliphate forces spread very fast capturing large areas of Iraq and Syria. The Peshmerga forces of Kurds fought alongside the Iraqi Army and Shia forces of Iran and finally defeated ISIS in Iraq with the fall of on 29 June 2017.
19. Regional Support –  To support their respective armed forces, both parties have access to external military aid. The KDP is close to Turkey, selling oil to Turkey and helping the Turkish Army in their cross-border fight against the PKK in northern Iraq, while Turkey is the main supplier of weapons and ammunition to the KDP. In addition, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf states have provided financial support to the KDP for regional development as well as weapon and ammunition purchase in the black market, in the hope of developing the KDP to restrain the Iraqi central government. As for the PUK, its military equipment is mainly from Iran and Syria. This is because the PUK has close cooperation with the PKK, giving them shelter in northern Iraq, and supports the “Democratic Federation of Northern Syria” and the Syrian Democratic Forces, while Iran and Syria intend to keep Turkey in check. United States publicly granted support to the “Democratic Federation of Northern Syria” and the Syrian Democratic Forces.
20. Kurdistan Independence referendum 2017 – An independence referendum for Iraqi Kurdistan was held on 25 September 2017, with preliminary results showing approximately 93.25 percent of votes cast in favour of independence. The referendum led to a military conflict with the Iraqi central government, in which the KRG lost 40 percent of its territory and its main source of revenue, the Kirkuk oil fields. Following the referendum, Masoud Barzani resigned as president.

Future of Kurdistan

The partition and dismantling of four sovereign states – Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran – to carve an autonomous Kurdistan is as disastrous for the entirety of the region as for the Kurds remaining within these states and is enormously consequential for the eventual resurrection of multiple, pluralistic, tolerant, and cosmopolitan nations.

Bibliography

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