SMICMUN: The Right to Rule
September 29, 2015
BACKGROUND GUIDE: Establishing an Independent Kurdistan
Bohan Lou (SMIC) and Shirley Park (Wellington)
The SMIC Private School
169 Qingtong Road
Shanghai, China 201203
Introduction
The Kurds are the fourth largest ethnic group in the Middle East, estimated to number between 25 to 35 million worldwide. They also represent the single largest ethnic group in the world without a homeland. The Kurds currently inhabit areas in southern Turkey, western Iran, northern Iraq, and northern Syria. Ever since the Ottoman Empire’s collapse, the Kurds have strived to establish an independent state known as Kurdistan, but have not been successful.
Since 2013, the Kurds have proven to be a major deterrent to the expansion of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Their stalwart defense has lent credence to the long held Kurdish belief that they are a sovereign power that deserves its own state. While the creation of a sovereign homeland would realize a decades old dream for the Kurds, it could also infringe upon the sovereignty of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria.
The UN Security Council is tasked with analyzing the viability of the establishment of an independent Kurdish state and constructing a plan to establish a lasting peace that is equitable to both the Kurds and the sovereign states of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria
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Please feel free to ask questions at anytime. Our contact information is below.
Bohan Lou -
Shirley Park -
Context
The Kurds, the fourth largest ethnic group in the Middle East, currently stand as one of the world’s largest peoples without a sovereign state. They are dispersed in contiguous nations that encompass lands from Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Iran. Despite being mostly Sunni Muslim as well as self-identifying as non-Arabs, the 25 to 35 million Kurds are split along many lines, forming parties and insurgencies including the: Turkish Huda-Par, HDP, and PKK; Syrian PYD; Iraqi Gorran, PUK, and KDP; and the Iranian PJAK. These groups all share the goal of establishing an independent Kurdish state, though through different means.
Six months after victory in Kobani where over 1000 ISIS soldiers died, Syrian Kurd forces took the border town of Tel Abyad and cut off the main supply line of ISIS and later pushing to within 30 miles of Raqqah, the capital of ISIS. Since last fall, Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces, with backing from Iran and the U.S, have regained up to 10,000 square miles from ISIS, including the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, which some Kurds refer to as their Jerusalem. The threat of ISIS to already unstable governments in Iraq and Syria has not only united the Kurds but also provided an opportunity for them to become one step closer to achieving statehood by securing land and proving their merits in battle against ISIS.
Kurdish nationalism began in the early 20th century with Mustafa Barzani, father of Masoud Barzani, current leader of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq. After WWI and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Treaty of Sèvres included provisions for the possibility of a Kurdish state as former territories of France and Britain were divided up. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk of Turkey rejected the treaty, which was then replaced by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which omitted any references to a Kurdish state. Kurds were spread across four newly demarcated countries and their struggle for independence began thus.
For their efforts at gaining independence, Kurds have been repeatedly persecuted. In 1962, Syria stripped 120,000 Kurds of citizenship, rendering them stateless and unable to travel. The al-Assad regime as only recently reinstated limited citizenship to some Kurds in an attempt to gain their support in the face of an escalating civil war in Syria. Turkey has blamed the PKK, founded by Abdullah Ocalan in 1974, for terrorist attacks and their conflict has resulted in over 40,000 deaths, mostly Kurdish. The PKK is not only designated as a terrorist group by Turkey, but also by the U.S. In Iraq, Kurds were in rebellion against Saddam Hussein’s regime until 1975 when the Algiers agreement between Iraq and Iran severed Iranian and U.S. support for Kurdish resistance forces, resulting in the collapse of the rebellion. In 1988, Saddam Hussein’s al-Anfal retribution campaign killed over 50,000 to 180,000 Iraqi Kurds and displaced tens of thousands. As many as five thousand Kurds are killed in a chemical weapon attack on the town of Halabja during this campaign.
Relevant International Actions
Currently, United Nations has not held any conference to discuss the establishment of independent Kurdistan specifically. Hence, there are neither passed resolutions nor directives regarding this issue. However, the Kurds have sought UN’s help to help arrange a referendum in Kirkuk, to decide whether the northern Iraq will formally become part of the autonomous Kurdistan Region.
In terms of international reactions, USA has classified Kurdistan Workers' Party as a terrorist organization, disapproving of its existence. Nevertheless, there are member states cooperating with the Kurdish. Turkey has been working together with Kurdish Regional Government in terms of oil trade, granted greater rights to Turkish Kurds. USA, Turkey, and Europe have been backing up Kurdish forces in order to combat Islamic State, recognizing the Kurds as an effective military state, giving a tacit nod to Kurdish aspirations of independence. In Syria, Bashar al-Assad's regime offered concessions to win Kurdish support – granting citizenships to stateless Kurds.
· European Union, Motion over the Iraq’s separation as a country passed.
http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/17072014
· Kurdistan Regional Government, Seeks UN help for Kirkuk Referendum.
http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/29062014
· Al-Assad Regime, offering concessions to win Kurdish support.
http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/assad-friend-or-foe-of-the-kurds#full
· Turkey and the KRG, cooperating to enjoy economic benefits.
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/turkey-and-the-krg-an-undeclared-economic-commonwealth
· Turkey, granting greater rights to Turkish Kurds.
http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/40527-140817-pkk-conflict-with-turkey-coming-to-an-end-kurdish-leader
Questions to Consider
The member states need to consider many important factors and question in the course of the debate. They have to question the feasibility of this issue, figure out the purpose of establishing an independent Kurdistan, and consider diplomatic relationships between the member states. Some of the key questions are below:
· Will major world powers outside of the Middle East, especially the Permanent Five, support Kurdish independence?
· What is the position of each country (Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran) on allowing greater autonomy to Turks?
· What enmities or alliances exist between Kurdish groups?
· Which nations are backing which Kurdish groups?
· What are the obstacles to a unanimous recognition of a sovereign Kurdish state in the United Nations?
· What are the political and economical benefits to western countries of an independent Kurdistan, if any?
· How will an independent Kurdish state aid in defeating the Islamic State?
· Will the Kurds, who are currently dispersed throughout four countries, unite and fight for their independence?
Bibliography
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parallels/2014/10/21/357737290/who-are-the-kurds-and-whats-their-role-in-mideast-politics
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