Posted on 05/24/2003 6:10:50 PM PDT by Destro
PARTIES
A nation without state may feel orphan or homeless. In that case, however, the state has been given tasks that it could hardly fulfil.
The main Kurdish parties are all state-centrist, their background being hard-line socialist. The KDP and its Iranian brother party were founded in Stalin’s protection. In that time the Kurds were hailing Stalin as "the liberator of small nations".
When the KDP was released from the Soviet Union’s guidance in the 1960s, the PUK was founded to defend fundamentalist Marxism. The Kurdish section Komala was split up from the Iranian Communist Party.
By time, the number of Kurdish parties was increased by splitting. Those shocked of the collapse of Soviet power founded Workers’ Communist Party (WCP) in Iraq and Iran. This party has spectacular presence in the virtual reality, in internet.
Also "Marxism-Leninism, Mao Tse Tung’s thought" gained supporters among Kurds. They founded the Kurdish Workers’ Party, PKK, which is internationally the best-known, but by no means the only, Kurdish organisation.
There are dozens of specially Kurdish parties. Many of them are one-man enterprises or stages of the main parties. All in all, they share a common belief in the idea that a state on their own would solve all the problems of the Kurds, and the problems are understood as basically economic exploitation.
Because the Kurds have many but dear parties, also the goals of independence are rather party politics than national projects. There is no consensus on Kurdistan’s borders, form of government and symbols like flag. Each party has its own Kurdistan. Each party also has its own army, its schools, and its health system. The parties have adopted many tasks of tribes. Membership in a party is often strategic allegiance of family and tribe, not free and ideological choice of the individual.
Each party has its international sponsors: PUK has historically leaned at Syria, and KDP at Turkey. PKK has leaned at both Syria and Iraq. Exploitation has been mutual.
The Kurdish parties are fighting each other. For three years now, KDP and PUK have respected their ceasefire, mainly due to external pressure, but meanwhile, PKK has fought against both these Iraqi Kurdish parties.
In democracy it is natural that parties disagree. Usually they do, however, agree on large-scale national questions, and in the times of war they act under common war command. For example, the Chechens demand independence before all, and only secondarily come the questions of the country’s future systems of justice and economy. The Finnish Jäger [Finnish freedom fighters trained in Germany before the independence] included Red and White, Monarchists and Republicans. Among the Kurdish parties, such agreement is missing.
Says it all (keyword assisted). I hope the Turkish officials can read and understand so next time it stabs us in the back, they know there will be repercussions.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.