The Kurds Research Paper

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The conflict in Kurdistan has a very long history and is very complicated. The Kurdish people are at a crossroads. With the destabilization in Iraq and Syria, Kurdish forces are seizing the opportunity to establish a nation-state. The Kurds have been oppressed and tossed around for the past century and are now in a position to create a sovereign state. Pre world war 1, the Kurds lived rather peacefully under the Ottoman Turks. The Ottomans only acted violently against the Kurds when there were calls for independence; otherwise, the Kurdish people spent their days herding sheep in the highlands of the Mesopotamian region. After the Great War, the Kurds found themselves under British rule. As the British developed the state of Iraq, it soon …show more content…
They are beginning to rise against their capitalist oppressors. With the rise of ISIS the Kurds seized the opportunity to finally forge their own path. The Kurds have finally received recognition from capitalist states hoping to use them as a proxy power in the region, but the Kurds are going a step further. The Kurds have not been of particular interest to the developed capitalist world until now. They are using the power vacuum in the region as well as the momentary support of the world to seize power for themselves and take control of their situation. For instance, they are establishing a federal republic in Syria and are taking control of territories in Northern Iraq. While the capitalist Iraqi government …show more content…
The US and NATO hold enormous influence over both Iraq and Turkey. In Iraq, the US still has influence over the Iraqi government and the Iraqi army, as the US is integral to helping stave off ISIS from Baghdad. NATO also has economic influence over Iraq, since the US imports significant amounts of oil from Iraq, they could do great harm to their economy. NATO members could also affect Turkey's oil industry. Turkey is also in a precarious military position in the wake of Russian aggression meaning they are unlikely to sever ties with NATO over their Kurdish

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