Kurdi Group / Nation In Iraq: Lifestyle, Recognition (Essay Sample)

Kurds Group/Nation in Iraq
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Kurds Group/Nation in Iraq
Similar to most groups all over the world, the Kurds possess their own identity that is based on their various aspects including their language, their religion, their Kurdistan geographical territory as well as their common race. There are various questions that can be raised in line with the identity politics of the Kurds group. These questions include the definition of nationalism and the role of nationalism in the formulation of views, the nature of the Kurdish views in the light of nationalism and questions that are directly related to the identity of the Kurds. The success of the Kurdish group in the fight for autonomy and in the fight for their rights and freedom in line with the politics of identity can be attributed to the use of political parties and political organizations as well as theparticipation of the Kurds in armed warfare.
Historical Context of the Kurdish Identity
The current condition in line with the politics of identity regarding the Kurds can be understood by the analysis of the historical context of the condition. The Kurds are on numerous occasions referred to as a nation or rather as a “non-state nation” as they total up to 35 million individuals CITATION Mic16 \l 1033 (Rubin, 2016). The Kurds are sometimes referred to as a nation based on the fact that this ethnic group possesses the nation characteristics. The homeland of the Kurds is located in between four countries which are Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria CITATION Mic16 \l 1033 (Rubin, 2016). The governments of the nations mentioned above relate differently with the Kurds. That is, the government of Turkey barely recognizes the existence of the Kurds hence their denial of their cultural rights as well as their linguistic rights in the country. In my opinion, when individuals are denied the rights that they term as important for their existence, they end up creating resistance with a view of fighting for their rights. In this regard, the denial of the cultural rights and the linguistic rights to the Kurds consequently led to identity recognition struggles in relation to this group.
On numerous occasions, the when specific individuals in a given country are denied their rights by the government of that country, they start fighting the government for their autonomy. Furthermore, when the government fails to listen to them they fight harder for their rights at any cost. Therefore, the major factors behind the politics of identity on the part of the Kurds are their historical struggle for social freedom as well as political freedom. The case of the Kurdish community against the Iraq government is different from the cases in Iran and Turkey. At the point when Iraq gained its independence in 1932 as a nation-state, the government identified an objective or rather an aim of guaranteeing the Kurds autonomous rights CITATION She13 \l 1033 (Kirmanj, 2013).
However, this objective was never materialized until the period of the Kurdish Uprising following the results of the Gulf War of 1991 CITATION Mic16 \l 1033 (Rubin, 2016). During this time, the Kurds had established legal bases of claiming a greater say as far as their affairs and the affairs of the nation were concerned. This apparently led to chauvinistic responses in respect to Baghdad’s consecutive governments. The responses were very brutal which saw the use of chemical weapons in ethnic cleansing in addition to genocide campaigns with the aim of eliminating the Kurdish individuals. In my opinion, it is quite evident that the correlation that exists between nationalism and conflict at the ethnic level is crucial in the determination of nationalism origin in the case of the Kurds. The Kurdish nationalism arose as a political movement in the course and after the Ottoman Empire dissolution with the aim of achieving progression as well as statehood. Conclusively, it can be said that the Kurds have serious justifications of their grievances. These grievances are further elevated by the failure of the government of Iraq in respecting the demands of the Kurds.
The Aims of the Kurdish Group
The grievances that are made by a resistant group in a particular nation express their dissatisfaction in line with the manner in which they are treated. Additionally, the grievances often lead to the establishment of aims to address them clearly. The Syrian War and the war in Iraq have thrust the Kurdish group into the spotlight consequently highlighting the divisions besides the alliances that exist between the factions CITATION Had09 \l 1033 (Hadji, 2009). A wide network in line with political parties, bureaucratic parties in addition to armed groups haves been established in the Kurdistan territory. In this respect, the first ultimate aim of the Kurds is the achievement of greater autonomy. The second aim is the protection of the language and culture of the Kurds CITATION She13 \l 1033 (Kirmanj, 2013). In my opinion, making the aims clear is indicative of the group’s resolve to earn identity by all means and making the government understand what they stand for.
Why the Aspirations are Held by the Kurds
The aspirations mentioned above are as a result of the Iraq’s invasion in 2003 and the civil war of Syria CITATION Mic16 \l 1033 (Rubin, 2016). These two events acted as a catalyst in the thriving of the Kurdish autonomy. Moreover, since the establishment of the Iraqi state, the Kurdish community has been treated as the key minority in the state. Apart from making up the largest percentage of the population in Iraq, the Kurdish population has a huge political significance in Iraq as a result of their political activism and their reluctance to the compliance with state repression CITATION Had09 \l 1033 (Hadji, 2009). Various agreements that were made between the Kurds and the Iraqi state have not been achieved as the agreements are broken and consequently the dismembering of the Kurds. In my opinion, the Iraqi government does not seem committed to the interests of the group and it would take a lot of time before any realization of an agreement to their ideas.
Furthermore, the ethnic cleansing as well as the mass murder carried out by the regime of Saddam Hussein also inspire the Kurds to fight on for their autonomy. Apart from this, the fundamental ethnic conflicts that are between the Kurds and the Iraq individuals are also a motivating factor for the holding of the aspirations CITATION Nat15 \l 1033 (Natali, 2015). The Kurds have from time immemorial refused to give away their ethnic identity to their controlling government. They have thus decided to go ahead with their patriotic struggle at whatever price. They desire to have better lives and to possess their own place. The aspirations are also held by the Kurdsbecause of variations between the interests of the Kurds and the interests of the Iraqi state. TheKurds are continuously fighting for their independent recognition while the Iraqi state is fighting to repulse and disallow the efforts of the Kurds CITATION Nat15 \l 1033 (Natali, 2015). The urgent need to be connected to the Kurdish identity specifically referring to their urge to be connected to the Indo-European language of the Kurds is another reason behind the aspirations held by the Kurds.
How they Seek to Achieve their Objectives
The Kurds have vigorously pursued the achievement of their objectives by the use of various groups. To begin with, the Kurds have established political parties in addition to political organizations that are legitimate with a view of promoting the rights and freedom of the Kurds CITATION Mic16 \l 1033 (Rubin, 2016). Based on my view, political parties are formed with the view of bringing all the members together for the realization of their aims. Moreover, the Kurdshave also participated in armed struggles. Some of the Kurds use guerilla tactics in addition to terror attacks on the civilians with a view of fighting for their rights and freedom. In particular, the Kurdistan Alliance has been employed as a crucial framework for the formation of political parties affiliated to the Kurds. Therefore, there are various political parties that have been formed under this alliance. These political parties include the Kurdistan Islamic Union, Gorran, the Kurdistan...