Is Krudistan a state?
Is Kurdistan a state?
Kurdistan is a defined geographical area, where the Kurds are in majority. The area is located in Northern Iraq, south of Turkey, east of Syria and west of Iran. The Kurdish people derived from the “Indo-Europeans”, which are believed to have lived in the area for more than 4000 years (Yildiz 2005). There are two main branches of language in Kurdistan, “Northern Kurmanji” and “Sorani” (Benard & Schnapper-Casteras 2010). After World War 1, and the peace agreement in 1920, the western countries agreed that those areas with Kurdish majority should be a separate, independent Kurdish state. However, the Turks played a leading role in preventing this, when they incorporated the “East Anatolia” in the Turkish Republic (McDowall 1997). The control of Kurdistan has become recently more important since the Second World War, mostly because of oil and water recourses (Yildiz 2005).
So can we consider this area as a state?
According to (Heywood 2011), a defined state should have four features: “A defined territory, a permanent population, an effective government and finally the capacity to enter into relations with other states”. So, can we consider Kurdistan as a state? To answer this question, we have to look into each region.
Iraq
The population of “Kurds” in Iraq is estimated to 4,3 million people in 2008. The Kurdish part in Iraq is organized in a formal association of three provinces Erbil, Dahuk and Sulaymaniyah in Northern Iraq, and is often referred to as “Iraq/Kurdistan” (Benard & Schnapper-Casteras, 2010). The Iraqi administration “pulled out” in 1992, and a Kurdish administration was created. Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Central Iraqi Government control the three provinces today. The political parties Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) represent the Kurds in the provinces. The last democratic election in 2009 ended in a joint between the parties, and they achieved the largest seats
Kurdistan is a defined geographical area, where the Kurds are in majority. The area is located in Northern Iraq, south of Turkey, east of Syria and west of Iran. The Kurdish people derived from the “Indo-Europeans”, which are believed to have lived in the area for more than 4000 years (Yildiz 2005). There are two main branches of language in Kurdistan, “Northern Kurmanji” and “Sorani” (Benard & Schnapper-Casteras 2010). After World War 1, and the peace agreement in 1920, the western countries agreed that those areas with Kurdish majority should be a separate, independent Kurdish state. However, the Turks played a leading role in preventing this, when they incorporated the “East Anatolia” in the Turkish Republic (McDowall 1997). The control of Kurdistan has become recently more important since the Second World War, mostly because of oil and water recourses (Yildiz 2005).
So can we consider this area as a state?
According to (Heywood 2011), a defined state should have four features: “A defined territory, a permanent population, an effective government and finally the capacity to enter into relations with other states”. So, can we consider Kurdistan as a state? To answer this question, we have to look into each region.
Iraq
The population of “Kurds” in Iraq is estimated to 4,3 million people in 2008. The Kurdish part in Iraq is organized in a formal association of three provinces Erbil, Dahuk and Sulaymaniyah in Northern Iraq, and is often referred to as “Iraq/Kurdistan” (Benard & Schnapper-Casteras, 2010). The Iraqi administration “pulled out” in 1992, and a Kurdish administration was created. Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Central Iraqi Government control the three provinces today. The political parties Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) represent the Kurds in the provinces. The last democratic election in 2009 ended in a joint between the parties, and they achieved the largest seats
References: Benard, A & Chnapper-Casteras, J.P., 2010, ‘Northern Exposure: Kurdistan After the withdrawal’, pp. 83-89 Carbaugh, R 2011, “International Economics”, Cengage Learning, 13th edit, Heywood, A 2011, global politics, Palgrave Macmillan, London IBTimes, 2012, ‘Iraq Fuming Over Turkey Oil trade With Kurds’, .