New report says Kurds could turn Syria's political tide

10 January 2006

With the instability in Iraq seemingly ongoing, the one area of qualified success has been Kurdish-controlled areas in the north of the country. Political gains made in Iraq have given Syria's once quiet Kurds the confidence to come out of the shadows and make their voice heard. In a new briefing paper, Syrian Kurds: A People Discovered, a Chatham House explores this transformation within the Syrian Kurds.

Currently the Syrian Republic doesn't officially recognise the Kurds and it is only now that the 300,000 Syrian Kurds feel strong enough to voice opposition to the daily discrimination and repression that they endure. This new paper highlights the fact that whilst growing international pressure on Syria is strong, domestic opposition to the regime remains weak. The paper goes on to highlight the rare challenge that the Kurds are starting to offer the incumbent regime. Robert Lowe, author of the paper, also argues that Kurdish political parties now have huge potential to attract large support from a community becoming ever more assertive of its own identity.

On a cautionary note, the briefing paper also stresses that serious reforms are needed to ease the plight of the Kurds in Syria or there could be further, damaging unrest in an already increasingly unstable country.

Notes for editors:
The Syrian Kurds: A People Discovered
by Robert Lowe is published by Chatham House on Tuesday 10 January 2006.

Interview bids with the author:
Robert Lowe +44 (0) 20 7957 5737

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