Kurdistan: An Invisible Nation

Stefano M. Torelli
Cengiz Gunes
Robert Lowe

Published 2016
https://www.academia.edu/26624778/Kurdistan_An_Invisible_Nation

Spread across Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran, Kurdistan is one of the hottest geopolitical areas in the Middle East. It is a land inhabited by over 30 million people, representing one of the largest stateless "nations" worldwide. The Kurds play a crucial role in the region, and the so-called "Kurdish factor" has constantly been a key ingredient of recent Middle East crises: from the wars in Iraq under Saddam Hussein to the fight against the so-called Islamic State. Not to mention the strategic relevance that Kurdistan assumes as one of the oil-richest areas in the region. What new balances would an eventual victory of Kurds over IS create? What are the long-term goals of the Kurdish community? How to reach a solution to the Kurdish question able to satisfy all the actors involved? Can we envisage a common future for the Kurds or will they remain tied to the political destinies of the countries they live in? These are just some of the questions that this report tries to answer collecting contributions from leading international experts.

BACK TO THE MOUNTAINS?
Walter Posch
on the Kurdish Struggle: "Back to the Mountains?" Article published in Zenith 4/15
https://www.academia.edu/19556356/Back_to_the_mountains

We Have No Friends but the Mountains: The Background to Kurdish Autonomy

Gary K Busch

The role and status of the various Kurdish groups in Iraq, Iran. Turkey and Syria are shaping the conflicts which continue in these nations. Iraqi Kurdistan has just voted for its autonomy, provoking a hostile reaction from the nations of the region. It is important to understand the roots of this ancient antagonism and the lack of unity among the Kurds which has always stood in the way of their progress towards an independent Kurdistan.

https://www.academia.edu/34887562/We_Have_No_Friends_but_the_Mountains_The_Background_to_Kurdish_Autonomy