The Kurdish Uprisings in the Middle East: A Survey (1831-1979)

Year 2020, Volume: 1 Issue: 2, 43 - 55, 20.06.2020

Behçet Kemal Yeşilbursa

Abstract

The period (1831-1979) witnessed the origins of Kurdish nationalist sentiments through a series of separate, smaller rebellions in the 19th century, through to a larger, more cohesive and discernible movement launched following the World War I. The Kurdish “problem”, as it has often been called, has been a historiographical issue. Pressures of regional states meant that the research into the issue has been limited. However, that is fast changing. Rather than a legal or political entity, the term “Kurdistan” generally refers to an agreed geographical area. Kurdish populations are concentrated in Iran to the east of the region, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the south and west, and Syria to the northwest. Territory populated by the Kurds evolved over the previous two centuries, with some regions becoming consolidated, while others were subject to constant change. Although continuing international debate regarding the future of “Kurdistan” can be said to date from around 1918-20, the British archives hold significant material dating from the early 19th century. Identifying and presenting all available documents helps to shed a light on aspects of Kurdish nationalism and territoriality as they were perceived by contemporary observers. Being conducted within the larger context of diplomatic relations with Iran, Russia and Turkey, British observations are a useful source for three reasons: first, they monitor international boundary disputes and frontier issues; second, they present assessments of strategic defence issues against any possible incursion towards the British Indian Empire; and third, on a commercial level, provide a view to establishing channels for local trade. The object of this work is to present the geo-political context of the Kurdish “Problem” as reflected in the British archival documents.

Keywords

Kurds, Middle East, Turkey, İran, Irak

References

• Bibliography Documents This paper is based upon a range of primary and secondary sources. Much of material for this study was gathered from the National Archives (TNA), the United Kingdom. All references to sources prefixed by FO and FCO refer to documents held at the National Archives, formerly the Public Record Office (PRO). The following files have been consulted: FCO51/191/RR6/10, The Kurdish Problem in Iraq, 1963-1971, 6 December 1971. FO371/140682/E1821/20, The Kurds and the Baghdad Pact Powers, 29 April 1959. FO371/140682/E1821/9/59, The Kurds by C. J. Edmonds, 13 February 1959. FO370/2718/LR 6/9G, The Kurdish problem in Iraq, 1958-1963. FO371/140682/E1821/20, The Kurds and the Baghdad Pact Powers, 29 April 1959. FO371/140682/E1821/9/59, The Kurds by C. J. Edmonds, 13 February 1959. Books & Articles BENGIO, Ofra, “Iraqi Kurds: Hour of Power?”, Middle East Quarterly, (Summer 2003), pp. 1-7. BURDETT, Anita (ed.), Records of the Kurds: Territory, Revolt and Nationalism, 1881-1979, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015). EDMONDS, C. J., “Kurdish Nationalism”, Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 6, No. 1, Nationalism and Separatism (1971), pp. 87-107. EDMONDS, C. J., “The Kurds and the Revolution in Iraq”, The Middle East Journal, Volume: 13, Number: 1, (Winter 1959), pp. 1-11. EDMONDS, C. J., “The Kurds and the Revolution in Iraq”, The Middle East Journal, Volume: 13, Number: 1, (Winter 1959), pp. 1-10. EDMONDS, C. J., “The Kurds of Iraq”, The Middle East Journal, Volume: 11, Number: 1 (Winter 1957), pp. 52-63. GOLAN, Galia, Soviet Policies in the Middle East, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990). LENCZOWSKI, George, The Middle East in World Affairs, (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1990)). MARR, Phebe, The Modern History of Iraq, (Oxford: Westview Press, 1985). POLK, William R., Understanding Iraq, (London: I. B. Tauris, 2006). RUBIN, Avshalom H., “Abd al-Karim Qasim and the Kurds of Iraq: Centralization, Resistance and Revolt, 1958-1963”, Middle Eastern Studies, Volume: 43, Number: 3, (May 2007), pp. 353-382. RUBIN, Avshalom H., “Abd al-Karim Qasim and the Kurds of Iraq: Centralization, Resistance and Revolt, 1958-1963”, Middle Eastern Studies, Volume: 43, Number: 3, (May 2007), pp. 353-382. SLUGLETT, Marion Farouk and Peter, Iraq since 1958, (London: I. B. Tauris, 1990). UÇAR, Fuat, “Demokrat Parti Döneminde Kürt Sorunu: Gelişimi ve Etkileri”, International Journal of Academic Social Science Studies (JASSS), Number: 43, (Spring 2016), p. 175-200. WUTHRICH, F. Michael, “The Kurdish Question in Turkey, Iraq and Beyond”, Middle Eastern Studies, Volume: 48, Number: 2, (March 2012), pp. 303-310. YAYMAN, Hüseyin, Şark Meselesinden Demokratik Açılıma Türkiye’nin Kürt Sorunu Hafızası, SETA, 2011.