Kurdish Politics in the Middle East

Kurdish Politics in the Middle East analyzes Kurdish politics in Iran, Iraq, and Turkey and places Kurdish socio-political developments in the context of regional and global politics. The book also explains the impact of the downfall of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq on Kurdish autonomy.

Kurdish Politics in the Middle East analyzes political and social dimensions of Kurdish integration into the mainstream socio-political life in Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. Its central thesis is that ethnic conflict constitutes a major challenge to the contemporary nation-state system in the Middle East. Long vanquished is the illusion of the "melting pot," or the concept that assimilation is an inexorable process produced by "modernization" and the emergence of a relatively strong and centralized nation-state system in the region. Perhaps no single phenomenon highlights this thesis more than the historical Kurdish struggle for self-determination. This book''s focus is on Kurdish politics and its relationship with broader regional and global developments that affect the Kurds. It does not claim to cover everything Kurdish, and it does not promote the political agenda of any group, movement, or country.