Article Update: Kurds in Northern Iraq
Hello delegates!
I hope things are going well for you all and I cannot wait to meet you very soon. In the meantime, I would like to share a recent article with you all related to the first topic of our committee that sheds light on some recent developments in the Kurdish-Turkish conflict. The article is from the Qatar-based news channel Al-Jazeera and is titled "Kurd vs. Kurd: Fears of full-scale war rise in Northern Iraq".
The article goes into detail regarding the mounting tensions between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) that reside on the outskirts of Turkey mainly and the Kurdistan Regional government (KRG) in Iraq. The origin of this intra-Kurd conflict began when the KRG claimed that the PKK had assassinated a security personnel of theirs, which the PKK denied. However, a few weeks later, the PKK claimed that they were responsible for sabotaging one of the KRG oil pipelines. Essentially, the main takeaway is that with these conflicts and accusations becoming increasingly common, there is worry of a massive confrontation between the two groups on the Turkey-Iraq border. It is important to consider Turkey’s role amongst all of this as well, as the nation has labeled the PKK only as a terrorist organization and as such, has used that to justify bombings of villages where the PKK is present, putting civilians at risk as well. There are several key considerations to take away from this piece: - Evidently, it’s critical to recognize that the Kurds do not belong to any one nation state or banner, as seen with the spotlight on these 2 Kurdish groups from Turkey and Iraq, amongst undoubtedly many. Thus, consider the effects of this fractionalization amongst the Kurds and potential solutions that embrace this fact.
- The PKK has been branded a terrorist organization by nations including Turkey, the United States, and those in the EU. However, there are reports that state (1) organizations other than the PKK also engage in similar violence, yet they are not branded to be terrorists (2) that the actions of some extremist members of the PKK do not accurately reflect the the PKK as a whole. Given this, consider the geopolitical motives behind labeling certain organizations as “terrorists” and the consequences of that as a result.
Note: Al-Jazeera, as a media source, possesses left-center bias, and while it is generally factual in its reporting, it does tend to utilize loaded words that favor the left, so please be discerning when reading the article.
Germany aligns with the EU block on the position that the PKK is a terrorist organization. Some countries and individuals may find fault with the assessment that the PKK is a terrorist organization, however, this should not be the cause for the biggest concern when discussing this topic. Whether the PKK are terrorists or not should not influence the assessment that they are the root of many of the problems between the Kurdish people and the government of Turkey. This idea is elucidated by this article by showing that the PKK has caused tensions even within the Kurdish community. It also shows that the Kurdish people have diversified ideologies within their group, many of which do not align with the ideology of the PKK. Taking this information into account, tensions could be significantly eased between the Turkish government and the Kurdish people if the general population of Kurds demonstrates that they are not associated with the PKK and their ideology. While this idea must have nuances to ensure its success the general concept should effectively mitigate some of the hostility between the two.
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