World Politics News   Articles for World Politics Course

Iraqi Kurdish President Massoud Barzani indicated in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that “the time is here for the Kurdistan people to determine their future and the decision of the people is what we are going to uphold.”  It was the clearest indication so far that Iraqi Kurds will likely declare an independent state of Kurdistan in the wake of the dissolution of Iraq.  An independent state of Kurdistan has been the strong desire of the Kurdish people ever since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.  How Turkey reacts to this possibility will have a great effect on the outcome.

One of the most important legacies of Nelson Mandela was his heroic leadership after the abolition of apartheid in South Africa.  One of his instruments of justice was a movement toward truth and reconciliation, a movement that many other countries have adopted after traumatic events.  The Guardian did a retrospective on the truth, justice, and reconciliation movements since that time.  The successes of the movements are tempered by some shortcomings.  But the innovative approach shows great promise for deeply divided societies.

The turmoil in Iraq and Syria has much to do with the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire and the subsequent takeover of the land by the British and the French.   Trying to understand the current turmoil without appreciating how European imperialism tried to override the historical and cultural roots of the region is impossible.