The Kurds: State and Minority in Turkey, Iraq and Iran
James Ciment
Facts on File
The end of the Cold War has exposed, or re-exposed, to general view many ongoing regional ethnic, territorial and religious conflicts that had been obscured, suppressed or subordinated to the great international power struggle. One of the most ancient of these conflicts is the struggle of the Kurdish people for national autonomy or independence.
Kurds have for centuries occupied large parts of the mountainous areas of the lands that now comprise the states of Turkey, Iraq and Iran. Though Muslims, they are ethnically distinct from the majority populations of those countries, and they have been repressed, often violently, in all of them. Kurds have been subject to deportation and mass murder, political repression and co-optation, forced assimilation and large-scale military assault. Despite this history, and the nearly universal desire among them for self-government, Kurds have been unable to develop a serious and united political vehicle for their aspirations. At various times (sometimes simultaneously), Kurdish groups have fought both for and against the nations they inhabit, made common cause with other ethnic groups, assisted in their repression, and cooperated with and fought against other Kurds across international borders. Vicious internal power struggles among Kurdish leaders, sometimes masked by ideological disagreement, have seriously undermined the national cause, as have cynical interventions on all sides by the great powers.
Surveying the history of this conflict (with particular emphasis on the twentieth century), examining the cultures of the Kurds and of their antagonists, analyzing the byzantine political infighting and maneuvering of Kurdish leaders as well as the generally self-serving interventions by outside powers, James Ciment lucidly assesses the state of Kurdish affairs in each of the three states in which most Kurds live, and the possible course of future events. Organized for ease of access, yet lively and readable, The Kurds: State and Minority in Turkey, Iraq and Iran is a splendid and compelling work for students and other readers who need a clear and understandable introduction to a very complex subject.
James Ciment, Ph.D., teaches history at City College of New York (CUNY). He is the author of Law and Order in the young adult series Life in America 100 Years Ago. While preparing this volume, in addition to his historical research, he spoke firsthand to a number of participants in the events described in the book.
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