The Kurdish Policy Imperative

The Kurdish populations of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran are a major strategic issue in Middle East politics in the 21st century. There is a growing sense that this might be a time of change for Kurds, as witnessed in recent developments in Iraq and Turkey, while the Kurdish populations of Iran and Syria remain restive. The uncertainty and instability of the Middle East has various implications for Kurds, many of whom are becoming more influential players.

In partnership with the Ibrahim Ahmed Foundation, this project seeks to shed light on overlooked issues of policy towards the Kurds with the aim of informing and bringing the issue to the forefront of the international debate.

Chatham House Conference and Briefing Paper

A Middle East Programme Briefing Paper, The Kurdish Policy Imperative, was published in December 2007 in order to stimulate debate on the major issues prior to a high-profile conference which was held at Chatham House on 19 December 2007. Conference speakers included: Sir Jeremy Greenstock, Ditchley Foundation; Patrick Cockburn, The Independent and Professor Brendan O'Leary, University of Pennsylvania. Conference Details >>

Publications

A collected volume of papers, edited by Gareth Stansfield and Robert Lowe, will be published in late 2008 and will include the following contributions:

1. Introduction
Professor Gareth Stansfield and Robert Lowe

2. The Relationships between States and Non-State Peoples
Professor Stefan Wolff, University of Nottingham

3. Historical and Theoretical Aspects of Kurdish Nationalism
Professor Robert Olson, Kentucky University

4. Contemporary Kurdish Nationalism
Dr David Romano, Rhodes College

5. Turkey's Kurdish Challenge
Professor Kemal Kirisci, Bogazici University

6. Turkish Responses to Kurdish Identity Politics: Recent Developments in Historical Perspective
Dr Janet Klein, University of Akron

7. The Missing Moderate: Legitimacy Resources and Pro-Kurdish Party Politics in Turkey
Dr Nicole Watts, San Francisco State University

8. The 'Liberalisation' of Turkish State Policies toward the Kurdish Language: The Weight of External Actors
Dr Clemence Scalbert-Yucel, University of Exeter

9. The Politics of Normalization in Iraqi Kurdistan
Professor Gareth Stansfield

10. Internationalizing Iraq's Constitutional Dilemma
Dr Liam Anderson, Wright State University

11. Nationalities, Oil and Land: Kirkuk and the Disputed Territories
Professor Brendan O'Leary, University of Pennsylvania

12. Kurdish Political Parties in Iranian Kurdistan
Dr Hashem Ahmadzadeh, University of Exeter

13. The Syrian State and Kurdish Politics
Robert Lowe, Chatham House

14. Kurdish Futures
Professor Michael Gunter, Tennessee Technological University

Contacts

For more information please contact Robert Lowe.

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