Kurdistan

:For the Iranian province of Kordestan, please see Kurdistan Province, Iran.

History

Before World War I, most Kurds lived within the boundaries of the Ottoman Empire, in the province of Kurdistan. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Allies created several countries within its former boundaries. Originally Kurdistan, along with Armenia was to be one of them, according to the Treaty of Sèvres. However, the reconquest of these areas by Kemal Atatürk and other pressing issues caused the Allies to accept the renegotiated Treaty of Lausanne, giving this territory to Turkey and leaving the Kurds without a self-ruled region. Other Kurdish areas were assigned to the new states of Iraq and Syria under both treaties. These boundaries were drawn with more concern for the division of oil resources and influence between different colonial powers and for rewarding pro-Allied Arab leaders than for ethnic distributions. Turkey did request northern Iraq, but the allies were more concerned with oil than stability (one of the major reasons of conflicts in Africa and the Middle East). In 1988 the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons to bomb Halabja . Kurdistan lived under threats for years and defended their own country against Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran.

Related Topics:
World War I - Ottoman Empire - Province of Kurdistan - Allies - Armenia - Kemal Atatürk - Treaty of Lausanne - Iraq - Syria - Halabja - Turkey - Iran

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Since WWI, Kurds have been divided between several states, in each of which they are minorities. Many Kurds have campaigned for independence or autonomy, often through force of arms.

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But there has been no support by any of the regional governments or by outside powers for changes in regional boundaries. A sizable Kurdish diaspora exists in Western Europe that participates in agitation for Kurdish issues, but most of the governments in the Middle East have historically banned open Kurdish activism.

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In Turkey, Iran, and Iraq, Kurdish guerrilla groups, known in the Kurdish culture as 'Peshmerga', have fought for a Kurdish state. In Northern Iraq, Peshmerga fought against the Iraqi government before and during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and now police the Kurdish Autonomous Region there. Another militant group, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) have fought an armed campaign in Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran. In Turkey, more than 30,000 Turkish and Kurdish people have died as a result of the war between the state and the PKK, with alleged atrocities being committed by both sides. There are also some casualties in Iran, Syria and Iraq.

Related Topics:
Guerrilla - Peshmerga - 2003 Invasion of Iraq - Kurdish Autonomous Region - Kurdistan Workers Party

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