Description
Book SynopsisThis book examines the Kurds’ rise as new regional actors in the Middle East and the impact this is having on the regional order. Kurdish political activism has reached a new height in the beginning of the 21st Century with Kurdish movements in Iraq, Turkey and Syria establishing themselves as a significant force in the domestic politics of these states. The consolidation of Kurdish autonomy in Iraq and the establishment of a Kurdish de facto autonomous region within Syria is adding to the Kurds’ growing influence in the region and enabling Kurds to forge stronger relations with regional and international forces. The author analyses recent developments in the Kurdish question in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria to understand the inter-connections and inter-dependencies that exist in the transnational Kurdish political space. The book's policy relevance is likely to attract strong interest from policy makers as well as from academics and students in the fields of Middle Eastern Politics and International Relations.
Table of ContentsTable of Contents
Abbreviations 4
Preface 6
Chapter 1: The Kurdish Resurgence in a Changing Middle East 8
1.1 – A Brief history of the Kurdish Question 12
1.2 – The Re-emergence of Kurdish Nationalism during the 1960s 17
1.3 – The Geopolitics of the Middle East and the Kurdish Question 23
Chapter 2: The Kurdish Conflict in Iraq: Towards a Sustainable Solution 37
2.1 – Historical Overview of the Kurdish Conflict in Iraq 38
2.2 – The Consolidation of Kurdish Autonomy and the KRI 46
2.3 – The KRI’s Challenges 52
Chapter 3: Turkey’s Kurdish Conflict: The Sudden Reversal of Gradual Progress 64
3.1 – Historical Overview of Turkey’s Kurdish Conflict 66
3.2 – Transformation in the conflict and Turkey’s democratic openings 72
3.3 – A New Violent Phase in the Conflict 79
Chapter 4: The Syrian Conflict and Kurdish Ascendency 93
4.1 – The Kurdish conflict in Syria: background and the main developments 95
4.2 – The Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (DFNS) 102
4.3 – The Challenges facing the DFNS 108
Chapter 5: The Transformation of Iran’s Kurdish Conflict 119
5.1 – Historical Overview of Iran’s Kurdish Conflict 120
5.2 The re-emergence of Kurdish political activism in Iran during 2000s and 2010s 125
5.3 The factors behind the revival of Iran’s Kurdish movement and its future prospects 130
Chapter 6: Kurdish Prospects in a Volatile Middle East 145
6.1 Opposition to Kurdish Aspirations 148
6.2 Kurdish Prospects in the Middle East 155
Index 171
