Introduction For any ethnic group in the world, it can be explained that the ethnic group has to have its specific identity that is normally founded on a common race, geographical region, and even religion among others. This paper focuses on the Kurdish-Turkish identity as well as the politics and conflicts related to the Kurdish-Turkish relationship. The Kurds who are reported to be over 35 million and commonly discussed as a nation that does not have any state (McDowall, 1997). As explained by McDowall, the homeland of the Kurds happens to neighbor Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq and as a result, the various governments in the four different countries relates differently with the Kurds. According to historian William Westermann (1991), “The
…show more content…
Indeed, it can be explained that Kurdish feudalism played a major role in promoting the notion and taking over the leadership in Kurdistan. Even though the Kurds did group themselves in various political societies during the later parts of the 19th century and in early 20th century, it was in December 1918 that the groupings of the Kurds turned political and started demanding independence through the Socialist Party of Kurdistan (SPK). Nevertheless, the feudalist aspirations of the leadership resulted to a split in SPK as some leaders supported secession while other supported autonomous. The opposing views on what was best for the Kurds meant that the Kurds found it hard to make progress with their demands. Indeed, it can be explained that Kurds found it a challenge to match the efficiently organized and operated nationalist objectives of their Turkish neighbors. As a matter of fact, it can be noted that the conscientiously inspired Kurdish feudalism did not only result to weaknesses and irresponsibility of the Kurdish nationalism, but as well ended up been a catastrophic catalyst for Kurdish intellectuals. The disillusionment of certain Kurdish intellectuals as well as those who were secular nationalists meant that the opponents had a upper hand (Marcus, …show more content…
On the other hand, the main cause of this struggle lies on the Turkish state denying the Kurds to have their own specific identity. Even though there are some who might argue that PKK 's military defeat is a clear indication that the Kurds have been defeated and now have no option, that is not the case since there is sufficient evidence to show that Turkey’s Kurdish issues will not go away until the issue is effectively addressed by both parties. Over the last few years, small progress has definitely been made. For instance, since 1990s, public debate on the Kurdish issue has been allowed unlike was the case in the past while public debate was never allowed (Klein, 2010). Moreover, it can also be noted that since the capture of Abdullah Öcalan who was a Kurdish leader in the year 1999, there has been attempts to settle an end to the conflict (Al Jazeera, 2013). In addition, it can also be noted
Indeed, it can be explained that Kurdish feudalism played a major role in promoting the notion and taking over the leadership in Kurdistan. Even though the Kurds did group themselves in various political societies during the later parts of the 19th century and in early 20th century, it was in December 1918 that the groupings of the Kurds turned political and started demanding independence through the Socialist Party of Kurdistan (SPK). Nevertheless, the feudalist aspirations of the leadership resulted to a split in SPK as some leaders supported secession while other supported autonomous. The opposing views on what was best for the Kurds meant that the Kurds found it hard to make progress with their demands. Indeed, it can be explained that Kurds found it a challenge to match the efficiently organized and operated nationalist objectives of their Turkish neighbors. As a matter of fact, it can be noted that the conscientiously inspired Kurdish feudalism did not only result to weaknesses and irresponsibility of the Kurdish nationalism, but as well ended up been a catastrophic catalyst for Kurdish intellectuals. The disillusionment of certain Kurdish intellectuals as well as those who were secular nationalists meant that the opponents had a upper hand (Marcus, …show more content…
On the other hand, the main cause of this struggle lies on the Turkish state denying the Kurds to have their own specific identity. Even though there are some who might argue that PKK 's military defeat is a clear indication that the Kurds have been defeated and now have no option, that is not the case since there is sufficient evidence to show that Turkey’s Kurdish issues will not go away until the issue is effectively addressed by both parties. Over the last few years, small progress has definitely been made. For instance, since 1990s, public debate on the Kurdish issue has been allowed unlike was the case in the past while public debate was never allowed (Klein, 2010). Moreover, it can also be noted that since the capture of Abdullah Öcalan who was a Kurdish leader in the year 1999, there has been attempts to settle an end to the conflict (Al Jazeera, 2013). In addition, it can also be noted