KURDISH ISSUE AND PALESTINIAN ISSUE:
DO ALL NATIONS DESERVE THEIR OWN STATE?
Mgr. Eva Taterova, M.A., Ph.D.
Middle East Crossroads

NATIONS AND NATIONALISM
•A nation is a group of people that has got a common language, culture, historical experience and
often also the territory where they live.
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•The borders of the states often do not respect the territories inhabited by individual nations.
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•Today, there are more than 190 states in the world and more than 5,000 ethnic groups.
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•There are about 82% of the states where more than 2 ethnic groups live together on one territory.
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•The nationality becomes significant when the members of a concrete ethnic group distinguish
themselves from the other ethnic groups in the state and call for the guarantees of their national
rights.

NATIONS AND NATIONALISM
•Modern nationalism dates back to the times of French revolution (1789) – awaking of nations in
Europe, later also transferred to the other regions including the Middle East.
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•Right to self-determination for the nations – the assumption that the individual nations differs
due to their internal characteristics and identity à national state.
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•Extreme nationalism (chauvinism) claims that some nations are better than the others.
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•UN Charter (article 1,2): “To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the
principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures
to strengthen universal peace.“

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•DO ALL NATIONS DESERVE THEIR OWN STATE?

MIDDLE EAST ETHNIC GROUPS
•The Middle East has a population of about 246 million.
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•Three most numerous ethnic groups: Arabs, Turks, and Persians.
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•Variety of many others – not all of them aim to have their own state.
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KURDISH NATION
•Indo-European origin – various languages (Kurmanji, Sorani).
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•Estimated population: 30 millions (Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, diaspora).
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•Most of the Kurds share the nationalist dream of independent state.
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•Attempts of turkification of the Kurds in 20th century in Turkey.
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•Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) established in 1970s by Abdullah Ocalan – originally Marxist
ideology, the use of violence.
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•In Iran, the Kurds are generally seen as one of the Iranian nations.
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•Complicated status in Iraq – in 1980s genocide of the Kurds by Saddam Hussein‘s regime.

KURDISH DREAM OF INDEPENDENCE
•Treaty of Sévres (1920) proposed the idea of Kurdish autonomy – never realized.
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• Vision of a smaller state that would cover at least a part of a territory inhabited by the Kurds
(?northern Iraq?).
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•Hopes that Kurds shall be rewarded for their fights with ISIS.
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•Resistance of the regional powers – especially Turkey.
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•Lack of unity among the Kurds.
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PALESTINIANS
•Arab origin, estimated population about 11 millions of people (Jordan, West Bank, Gaza Strip,
Israel, Lebanon, other countries).
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•Palestinian identity developed during the conflict with Israel.
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•Originally, the Palestinians were represented by the king of Jordan.
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•Rise of Palestinian nationalism since 1960s.
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PALESTINIAN DREAM OF INDEPENDENCE
•One state solution vs. two state solution.
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•Lack of unity in Palestinian leadership especially after the death of Yasser Arafat (Fatah vs.
Hamas).
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•Frozen peace process with Israel
in last two decades – lack of international support for the Palestinian issue.
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•Are the Palestinians still the priority
for the Arab world?

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•WHAT MAKES A NATION TO SUCCEED
IN CREATING THEIR OWN STATE?

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS OF ETHNIC CONFLICTS
1.Federalism and shared power
- Switzerland, Lebanon
2.
2.Separation
- Czechoslovakia, ?Israel/Palestine?
3.
3.Outside intervention
- Cyprus
4.
4.Exhaustion of all sides of the conflict
- Lebanon
Page 11

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•THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION