I thought I’d add this group of Middle Eastern people to the talk.
Kurdish people now are the biggest ethnic group without a nation of their own. Do you think the current climate in the Middle East will inspire the Kurds to act up and try to get independence?
Or are they happy with their status in Iraq?
Iraqi Kurds seem ok with the situation. Turkish Kurds not so much.
Isn’t there a large-ish population of Kurds in Iran as well?
(I have no idea what the answer to the OP is…I know that there are some active Kurdish groups who want to carve out their own independent country from Iraq, Turkey and I think Iran, but it doesn’t seem to have enough traction to actually accomplish the stated goals)
-XT
A fact which could prove strategically useful . . .
What about the Wheys?
From BBC it rather looks like the Kurds of Iraq are trying to overthrow the corrupt clans ruling them. I don’t see how setting off a four country civil war would help the Kurds in any of the countries. I’ve seen enough of that nonsense in Africa to make me doubt any good comes of it.
Since the PKK has been rebelling since 1984, I think they already are, you know, rising up. In the time that I have paid any attention to Turkish news I’ve seen frequent reports of protests in the SE of Turkey. So they are far from content and want change. Recently a Kurdish-based party was disbanded but the PMs did not all lose their seats.
That said, the PKK is currently in a unilateral ceasefire, nonKurdish parties in the Turkish government are vying for Kurdish votes. Greater, albeit limited and maybe superficial, freedoms for Kurdish culture are being allowed. There is generally more interest in finding a diplomatic means of finding peace without territorial disruption. More Kurdish leaders or prominent Kurds are publicly saying negative things about the PKK. That may change in a month, who knows.
The Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region is making a lot of trade contacts with the Turkish government and diplomats from both sides of the border have spent time in each others capitals.
Stability, economic growth, and democratization seem to be the trend in the 2 largest Kurdish regions. Hopefully it continues. I predict no further uprisings or nothing of any consequence. Or maybe the ceasefire will end when everything thaws from the winter and it’ll all start all over again.
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