Kurds are the largest stateless people in the world. An estimated thirty-two million Kurds live in "Kurdistan," which includes parts of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Iran-today's "hot spots" in the Middle East. The Kurdish Spring explores the subjugation of Kurds by Arab, Ottoman, and Persian powers for almost a century, and explains why Kurds are now evolving from a victimized people to a coherent political community.

David L. Phillips describes Kurdish rebellions and arbitrary divisions in the last century, chronicling the nadir of Kurdish experience in the 1980s. He discusses draconian measures implemented by Iraq, including use of chemical weapons, Turkey's restrictions on political and cultural rights, denial of citizenship and punishment for expressing Kurdish identity in Syria, and repressive rule in Iran.

Phillips forecasts the collapse and fragmentation of Iraq. He argues that US strategic and security interests are advanced through cooperation with Kurds, as a bulwark against ISIS and Islamic extremism. This work will encourage the public to look critically at the post-colonial period, recognizing the injustice and impracticality of states that were created by Great Powers, and offering a new perspective on sovereignty and statehood.

About the Author
David L. Phillips is director of the Program on Peace-building and Rights at Columbia University's Institute, USA for the Study of Human Rights. Phillips served as foreign affairs expert and senior adviser to the US Department of State during the administrations of presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama. He is the author of From Bullets to Ballots. Bernard Kouchner is a French politician. From 2007 until 2010 he was the foreign minister of France. He is the cofounder of Doctors without Borders.

Reviews
"Clearly written from a human rights perspective, The Kurdish Spring stands as a most-needed and refreshing guide for anybody politically and academically interested in this precarious moment for Kurds, peoples of the Middle East, and elsewhere." - Kurdish Studies, 2016, Volume 4, No. 1 "[T]he most concise account on the history of the Kurds of Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran since David McDowall's seminal book 'A Modern History of the Kurds' ... It is an updated, a very fresh information arsenal on the Kurdish issue and Kurdish history. There is no doubt that it will take its rightful place on the bookshelves of everyone around the world concerned with the issues of the Middle East." - Cengiz Candar, Al-Monitor "The Kurdish Spring gives the reader excellent insight into an important group in a difficult region of the world... a great read." - Don Delauter, The Voice of North Carolina



Book Information
ISBN 9781412855761
Author David L. Phillips
Format Hardback
Page Count 268
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Inc
Weight(grams) 453g