In the span of three years, from 1986 to 1989, the Iraqi Military Force killed between 50,000 to 182,000 Kurds and destroyed 90 percent of all Kurdish villages in Northern Iraq. This dark episode in history is often referred to as the Anfal Genocide. As the persecutions against the Kurds continued in Iraq, many sought […]
Tag: Kurdistan
The Sovereign State: A Look at Catalonia and Kurdistan
“Common sense will tell us, that the power which hath endeavoured to subdue us, is of all others, the most improper to defend us.” ― Thomas Paine, Common Sense Part I: Catalonia Catalonia, an independent region in the northeastern part of Spain, has recently returned to the international scene. On October 1st, 2017, […]
Iraq’s Kurds: Questions on Self-Determination
Kurdish independence has arguably been one of the most long-standing struggles for self-determination. But with independence referendums taking flight across the world, what makes the Iraqi Kurds’ claim to autonomy more, or less, legitimate? The answer some use is ethnicity. Others look to the historical persecution of the Kurds. These two reasons don’t exist in […]
Empty Promises: The Impact of ISIS on Kurdish-Turkish Relations
The Battle between the Turks and Kurds has been raging for years, but it seems the relationship between the two has reached an all-time low as a result of the unprecedented rise of the Islamic State (IS). Many are beginning to question Turkey’s devotion to the fight against ISIS. Turkey recently agreed to join the […]
Referendum is the New Revolt
Weeks of tension, anticipation, and indelible patience led to the ultimate “no”—or “No thanks”, as the Scottish campaign politely advocated—vote on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom on September 18th. Nearly 85% of eligible Scottish voters turned out to give their two pence on the contentious issue, according to NPR’s Ari Shapiro—a turnout that broke […]