# Kurdish Exodus?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kurdish-exodus/1011166>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Created:** [December 4, 2024, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kurdish-exodus/1011166 "2024-12-04T20:49:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2024, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kurdish-exodus/1011166/1 "2024-12-04T20:49:45Z")

</div>

It’s currently looking likely that Syrian rebels, backed by Turkey, might be able to overthrow Assad. If Israel jumped in to aid, that would probably make it a slam dunk.

The early indication, though, is that neither Erdogan nor the rebels have any intention of letting the Kurds stay in the region.

What would be the practical option for evacuating the Kurds and setting them up with a new place to live? Some distributed diaspora? Some actual territory of their own to master, somewhere?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kurdish-exodus/1011166/2 "2024-12-05T02:58:54Z")

</div>

> [@Sage\_Rat](#):
>
> What would be the practical option for evacuating the Kurds and setting them up with a new place to live? Some distributed diaspora? Some actual territory of their own to master, somewhere?

There’s someplace unclaimed on earth?

A lot of the existing problems in the Middle East came from outsiders drawing lines on maps, or at least were worsened by that.

The quarter or so of Syria controlled by Kurds borders on semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan. Does this give an idea where to look?

I’m not trying to suppress discussion. The eleven year old Syrian Civil War is big and complex, with death estimates starting at hundreds of thousands.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kurdish-exodus/1011166/3 "2024-12-05T05:12:29Z")

</div>

> [@PhillyGuy](#):
>
> There’s someplace unclaimed on earth?

[At least three](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_nullius). None of which are practical places to settle in, so the issue is moot.

If they left _realistically_ they’d have to settle someplace already held by some nation state.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kurdish-exodus/1011166/4 "2024-12-05T05:39:08Z")

</div>

> [@Sage\_Rat](#):
>
> What would be the practical option for evacuating the Kurds and setting them up with a new place to live?

Swap places with the Palestinians? I’m only half kidding, Wiki tells me Israel and the Kurds have good relations going back almost 100 years.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kurdish-exodus/1011166/5 "2024-12-05T19:02:41Z")

</div>

Moving people in bulk any distance certainly is difficult. Israel isn’t too far away and they’ve recently emptied a fair chunk of land that’s effectively under their control.