The complicated struggle for ‘Kurdistan’

The Kurdish People: A Complex History and Struggle for Statehood

• The Kurdish people, a nomadic society, have been moving across modern-day Turkiye, Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Armenia for over a century.

• The concept of a ‘nation state’ trickled down from the West to the Ottoman empire, leading to the Kurdish people’s struggle for a separate state.

• The Kurdish societies were spread across the Ottoman empire and never united under a single identity, making them stateless in modern geopolitics.

• Modern-day nationalist sentiments, particularly in Turkiye, often diminish the authenticity of the Kurdish people.

• The Zagros range of mountains, home to Sunni Muslims, Shia Kurds, and some Alevi tribes, is rich with history.

• The Treaty of Sevres, signed on August 2, 1920, brought the Kurdish people closer to statehood.

• The treaty, drafted by Britain, aimed to establish a local autonomy for the predominantly Kurdish areas east of the Euphrates.

• The rise of a Kurdish proletariat led to the Kurdish revival, but the Kurds failed to capitalize on the treaty.

• The tribal chiefs faced two options: form a state under British influence, risk detaching from Muslim Ottoman heartlands, or remain stateless.

Turkish Republic and Kurdish Identity

• The Turkish republic was founded after World War I, driven by nationalist ideals and fear of external threats.

• The Treaty of Sevres, signed by the Ottoman government, was not ratified and implemented, leading to the Turkish state in 1923.

• Mustafa Kemal Ataturk led a revolt in Anatolia, leading to the establishment of the Turkish state.

• Kemal abolished the Sultanate and Caliphate, making the spiritual base of the Kurdish Aghas and Sheiks obsolete.

• A peace treaty in July 1923 rejected the British request to recognize Kurds as a national minority, banning Kurdish associations, publications, religious fraternities, and schools.

• The threat to the Aghas and Sheiks led to the formation of a loosely connected organization called Azadi, which ended in 1924.

• Another short-lived Kurdish revolt in 1925 in the Diyarbakir region led by Naqshbandi Sheikh Said led to widespread suppression of the Kurds and the establishment of a one-party state.

• Another revolt in 1928 in the Mount Ararat region lasted till 1930, leading to brutal repression and the region remaining a military zone until 1966.

• A revival of the movement began in 1946 with the relaxation of the authoritarian one-party system, leading to the rise of a Kurdish proletariat.

• The Kurdish movement was marked by polarities, with the formation of left-wing parties like the Partiya Karkari Kurdistan or the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) under Abdullah Ochalan.

• The PKK adopted a Marxist-Leninist doctrine and a guerrilla campaign, targeting fascist right, Turkish left, state agents, and Kurdish landlords.