Kurds and the Debate over Stateless Nation - Essay Example

? Kurds and the Debate over less Nation The term less nation’ refers to a unique group of inhabitants that hasno land to legally occupy. According to reports, there are over 300 emerging national groups worldwide which propose regional nationalisms raising potential threat to many of the old nations and their political interests. Among them, Kurds constitute the prominent group as the world’s most numerous people without a homeland. Kurds’ sovereignty has been the bone of contention in the Middle East over several decades between various interest groups including Turks and Arabs and also Britain, France, and US all with their own oil interests over the Northern Iraq, the autonomous region of Kurds. Given below is the list of some relevant sources which could give extensive information on the issue. 1. Gunter, Michael M. “KURDS: The state and kurds in turkey: The question of assimilation”. The Middle East Journal, (2008) 62(2): 344-346. This article is a very good secondary source that closely reviews the findings of Metin Heper, a distinguished Turkish professor of politics who has recently joined the intellectual debate over the Kurdish issue in Turkey. According to Gunter (2008), the basic theme of Heper’s book is that “the Turkish Republic has not sought to promote Turkish ethnic nationalism that would assimilate its ethnic Kurdish population”. Heper also points out that the Turkish stance on the issue that is ignoring the distinctiveness of Kurds’ ethnicity has been deliberate. However, Gunter points some aspects that Heper omitted in his book. For instance, “the fact that the Kurds came late to the idea of their Kurd-ish identity superseding their Ottoman and Islamic identity” cannot be undermined. Gunter refers to Hakan Ozoglu who has documented this idea in his book Kurdish Notables and the ottoman State: Evolving Identities. Besides, Gunter identifies several other areas where Heper flawed. As the author points out, Heper simply maintains that Turkey has been convincing itself that it did not try to assimilate the Kurds forcefully but only ‘tried to prevent their de-acculturation’. Altogether, Gunter makes a critical evaluation of Heper’s findings on the Turkish position on Kurdish issues. Undoubtedly, the review helps one to reflect on the multiple facets of the debate over Kurds’ nationalism instead of simply agreeing with the arguments raised by authors like Heper. 2. Olson, Robert. “KURDS: Kurdish notables and the ottoman state: Evolving identities, competing loyalties, and shifting boundaries”. The Middle East Journal, (2004) 58(2): 305-307. Olson’s review of Ozoglu’s work KURDS: Kurdish Notables and the Ottoman State: Evolving Identities is unique for its detailed description on the nature and origin of the Kurdish nationalism. The writer closely analyses the process of the evolvement of the modern states in terms of socio-political context and the extent to which they have assimilated the concept of ethno-nationalism and cultural identity. The book actually maintains a very different opinion about the Kurdish movement as compared to the ones proposed by Heper. According to the book, there was no Kurdish protonationalism in the late 19th century and in the early 20th century up to the end of WWII. Olson’s review makes the concept of Ozoglu much easier for researchers as he analyses the author’s arguments chapter by chapter giving specific focus to the way Kurdish nationalism is addressed in them. 3. Romano, David. “KURDS-kurdish politics in the middle east”. The Middle East Journal, (2010) 64(2): 311-312. This is another brilliant book review by Romano on the great work of Entessar (2010) Kurdish Politics in the Middle East. The reviewer has highlighted the author’s ability to simplify the complex and unseen aspects of the Kurdish issue. The book has gone very deep into the actual problems of the population including the Kurdish history and politics other than giving “a theory-driven analysis or a focus on some particular aspects of the Kurdish experience”. And here Romano’s review has further simplified the substance by giving a brief account of the total content of the original book. According to the writer, Entessar finds close similarity between the policies of the Iranian pahlavi monarchy and Republican Turkey towards the Kurds, and both very clearly intend ‘to deny Kurdish identity and assimilate their respective Kurdish minorities’. The major flaw that the reviewer finds with the book is that Entessar simply goes through ‘various claims and denials about who was responsible’ instead of taking a position of his own. 4. Arsu, Sebnum. “Jailed Leader of the Kurds Offers a Truce With Turkey”. New York Times, March 21, 2013. Very recently, the Kurdish issue has gained worldwide attention once again as the detained Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan called for a cease-fire. He “ordered all his fighters off Turkish soil, in a landmark moment for a newly energized effort to end three decades of armed conflict with the Turkish government” (Arsu). The news article by Arsu dated 21 March 2013 New York Times reflects the gory conflict that has taken nearly 40,000 lives over the incessant conflict. As per the report, there has been no better effort made till date between the Kurdish and Turkish leadership other than the recent ceasefire declaration. Ocalan stated “a new era starts when politics, instead of guns, comes to the forefront” (as qtd in Arsu). The article not only gives an overview of the recent development in the negotiation processes but also reflects the intensity of the real issue in terms of peace keeping and freedom. For instance, according to the author, “for the Turkish government, seeking peace within its borders is a step toward realizing its ambition to be a regional power broker. For the Kurds, the call for peace carries with it the hope of more rights under a new constitution” (Arsu). 5. Kirisci, Kemal and Winrow, Gareth M. The Kurdish Question and Turkey: An Example of a Trans-state Ethnic Conflict. US: Routledge, 1997. Print. This book analyzes Kurdish demands in Turkey, examining its emergence from the end of the Ottoman Empire to the present time. Most of the earlier works on Kurdish question in Turkey had focused on the Kurds. In contrast to this, Kirisci and Winrow develop their view by referring to terms like nation, civic nationalism, ethnic group, ethnic nationilsm, minority rights, and self-determination. The authors examine the argument that Kurds as a stateless nation and indicate that they are largest national group in the Middle East without a state. Kirisci and Winrow strongly argue that it is better for scholars and commentators to avoid ambiguous use of terms like ‘stateless nation’ and ‘proto-nation’. At the same time, the writers adopt a favorable stand towards the Kurds’ need for separate identity and a sovereign state. They continue that use of these terms would worsen the already tensed relations between a state’s central authorities and the national group claiming their separate ethnic identity. Throughout the book, the authors present a view that the needs for ethnic identity and other ethnic conflicts have to be resolved by political negotiation rather than military operations. The authors opine that such a conflict resolution is important both for the government and for the victim group. The writers propose many ideas to solve the problem peacefully. Major suggestions include providing various forms of autonomy, secession, and granting special rights and democratization. They hope that such solutions can strengthen the diplomatic relations between the central government and the Kurds. In short, the book evaluates the Kurdish need for separate identity from different perspectives. 6. Akg, Sait. Kurdistan: What Now for National Liberation? Socialist Review, (Dec 2006). Web 6 April 2013 Throughout the report, the author vehemently argues that Kurds must be given national liberation. Referring to history, the author says that Kurds have been greatly suffering from oppressors for many centuries. In the opinion of the writer, Kurds constitute the largest stateless nation on the earth. He points out that this national group has a unique language and culture. The Kurds have a long history of revolts and uprisings and this population has cost thousands of lives for its survival. Although the Turkey has taken some favorable approaches towards the Kurdish rights in recent years under the pressure from the EU, most of them have not been implemented yet. In spite of the unilateral ceasefire announced in 2006, oppressions characterized with military operations in Kurdish areas still make the Kurdish life difficult. Kurds represent a powerless population in the absence of help from external states. The Iraq war worsened this situation because it led to conflicts in opinions among Kurds. The author says that freedom would not be possible in Kurdistan unless the global powers stop their unfair interventions in Kurdish areas. Read More