TITLE:
Future Options of the Kurds. Part II: Historical Background
AUTHORS:
Ferdinand Hennerbichler
KEYWORDS:
Kurds, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Gulf States, Egypt, Russia, UN, USA, EU, NATO, Future Options
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Anthropology,
Vol.8 No.3,
August
30,
2018
ABSTRACT: The
following second part of our analysis provides historical background
information in order to better understand future options of the Kurds. We explain
here in some detail why so far in contemporary history, virtually all efforts failed to achieve legitimate
national rights for the Kurds and why they could and should not be repeated in
the future. We basically show in sketched small historical chapters that Kurds
to date could only win limited national rights, like some forms of autonomous regional self-rule. The reasons for that
are in many aspects. Firstly,
because they were used over centuries both by dominant central as well as
foreign powers as proxies for their interests and also cooperated with them for
own split aims. Second, because Kurds are chronically divided, constantly at
loggerheads, disunited (Sheikhmous, 1992 & 2013: “united in disunity”) and fragmented. Thirdly,
although they remain a considerable force of stability in Eurasia and the
Middle East and are indeed underway to democracy they are still unable to come true majority rule of Western democracies. And last
but not least, because they lack experience governing themselves and diplomacy
to secure their own national rights with one strong united voice.