Kurdistan National Kongress (KNK) Statement: The Kurds in Iraq and Syria have been engaged in an epic battle against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria, an organisation that stands in opposition not only to the Kurds, but also to the region as a whole, in its attempts to create a Salafist system. This…
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Category Archives: Iraq
General Najim al-Jubouri on Ezidi Disaster and Return to Shingal
By Amy L Beam: 42-minute Interview with Amy L Beam, May 20, 2018, Mosul, Iraq. (Interview conducted in English with no translation to Arabic. Sorry for poor sound quality.) Amy (A): General Najim, can you explain your position and responsibilities? Najim (N): I am Major General, Commander of Nineveh province. A: What responsibilities does that…
The Future of Iraq
By Payraw Anwar: Introduction The nuclear deal between Iran and P5+1 (the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council — the United states, United Kingdom, Russia, France, and China — plus Germany) and the European Union was signed in the summer of 2015. On 8 May 2018 Donald Trump the president of the United…
The Earthquake in Kurdistan is Devastating!
By Rebwar Rashed: The earthquake on Sunday evening, 11 November, which struck a region between Iraq and Iran, is strictly a Kurdish region. In Iraq, this Kurdish area has always been subjected to extermination by the Iraqi governments, for instance during the Anfal of Saddam Hussein at least 182,000 Kurdish civilians were buried alive. In…
External Forces Against A Kurdish Referendum
By Dr Jan Best de Vries: After World War 1 the present borders of Iraq and Syria were drawn by respectively England and France on the basis of the presence of oil fields in these areas, their former mandates after destruction of the vilayets under Ottoman rule. So neither these present western powers nor the …
Beyond Referendum
By Dr. Rashid Karadaghi: Few issues have split the Kurdish house like the proposed referendum, which is planned for late September of this year in South Kurdistan. This article is not about endorsing or opposing the referendum because a referendum is the most basic right of any oppressed nation like the Kurds. Thus, no Kurd,…
Kurdish History Is Waiting To Be Made
By Arian Mufid: If it wasn’t for Churchill’s UK election defeat in 1945, Indian independence would not have been realised two years later. As it was, at midnight on 14-15 August 1947, India gained its freedom and “the Union Jack, emblazoned with the Star of India, began its final journey down the flagstaff”*. If it…
Referendum: How and Why
By Hogar Hadi Hasan: Referenda, from the perspective of political philosophy, are manifestations of direct democracy and since people vote directly they are a clear-cut legitimacy indicator. Very often, though, referenda are swayed by transient impulses rather than by deep and careful analysis and calculation. These very transient whims can be carefully manipulated by demagogues….
Kurdish Independence Under President Trump
By Rauf Naqishbendi: With any conflict in Mesopotamia, it makes headlines and is of significant importance when the Kurds are involved, even to the United States. The reality is that the Kurds altered the balance of power in Mesopotamia after the US’s invasion of Iraq. Thus, they are to be reckoned with when defending Iraq…
Just Crushing IS Won’t End Sunni Insurgency in Iraq
By Manish Rai: The Iraqi military and its allies have nearly defeated Islamic State in its final and largest Iraqi stronghold of Mosul. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in his recent visit to Mosul said the defeat of Islamic State militants in Mosul is “inevitable”. Even Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has issued a statement…
Gohbal: How Arabs Stole Yezidi Land
By Dr. Amy L. Beam: Human rights activist, Dr. Amy L. Beam, met with Hamad Ajuj, manager of Gohbol village in Shengal, to write this story. This is an excerpt from her forthcoming book, “The Last Yezidi Genocide” I am Hamad Ajuj Murad Barakat. I was born in 1978 in Gohbal. Gohbal is in the…
Southern Kurdistan: Are We Neglecting Our Sovereignty?
By Ramiar Bilbas: In the aftermath of the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) between the European powers, through the Treaty of Westphalia it was multilaterally contracted that no state would be allowed to intervene in the internal affairs of another. This is regarded as one of the most important elements of that treaty. When it comes…
The Shengal Yezidi Conundrum
By Amy L. Beam: CONUNDRUM: a dilemma without a solution. Since the genocidal attack by Daesh (Islamic State) upon Yezidis in August 2014, I have asked every Yezidi whom I meet what he or she thinks is the solution for their future in Shengal. Their demoralized answer is unanimous: “There is no solution. Shengal can’t…
Iran and Turkey are Dragging Kurds Into Their Cold War in the Middle East
By Abdul-Qahar Mustafa: The rivalry between Turkey and Iran over dominating the Middle East is not something new. It is in fact the legacy of the historical conflict between two empires, the Persians and Turks who dominated Middle East several times and under different names and ideologies in history. However, these two ethnicities have developed…
The Region’s Two Triangles and the Future of the Kurds
By Saman Shali, Ph.D., former President of Kurdish National Congress in North America (KNC): One could reasonably say that many countries of the Middle East, especially, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, have recently been enjoying a period of political and economic peace and tranquility. It can also be said that these states have enjoyed a…
