Yuri Nabiyev: Prospects of Kurdish Statehood - Russian News - REGNUM

Yuri Nabiyev: Prospects of Kurdish Statehood - Russian News - REGNUM

The collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1918 was a unique chance for the Kurds to create their own state, at least, under the protectorate of the League of Nations, or, why not, the Entente. As you may know, articles 62 and 65 of the Treaty of Sevres provided for Kurdistan’s independence. But they missed that chance because of the selfsame archaism of their society.

I can’t say the Kurds did not fight for independence. The ideas of a nation’s self-determination right, officially proclaimed and partly realized by the Entente, and the Russian revolution, taken in Kurdistan as an attempt to create a new fair world system – had impressed the Kurds a lot. In 1920 the Mosul villayet, i.e. the present-day Iraqi Kurdistan, was in the flame of never-ending revolts: Sheik Mahmud Barzanji proclaimed himself as the King of Kurdistan in Sulaymaniya. He did it twice and once (1921) was even half-recognized by the British government. A similar attempt was made by the leader of the Iranian Kurds Ismail Aga Simko. But their tribal movements were doomed to failure. For the US the Kurds are the best ally in its concept to democratize the Middle East, and this regards not only Iraq, but also Iran, Syria and Turkey. So, today the US and the Kurds are building their relations on mutual benefit and, given the situation in Iran and Syria and the Kurds’ importance in Iraq, the US is strongly interested in the Kurds just as the Kurds are in the US – for they are using their relations with the US for solving their own national tasks. In any case, things will stay like that till late 2007 – for as long as the Bush Republican administration is in power. The Kurds know that, and no coincidence they insist on solving the problem of Kirkuk by the end of 2007.

These days the Kurdish cause is as acutely pressing as never before. There are many proofs of this. One proof is the news reports of just one day Apr 1 2006:

* The US administration is preparing President Bush’s meeting with representatives of the Kurdish political parties of Syria

* A national revolt is underway in Turkey. The officials of the EU, which Turkey is so much eager to join, make numerous calls for that country to solve the Kurdish problem

* Two satellite TV programs launched for Iranian Kurds