The surge in Turkish drone assaults on Kurdistani segments in Iraq and Syria, accompanied by a resounding silence from the very states and global media that are swift to address actions elsewhere, underscores a perplexing and concerning dynamic. Where is the global outcry?
For well over a century, the world has witnessed the struggles of nations striving for self-determination. However, the spotlight seems to consistently evade certain narratives, leaving us to ponder the reasons behind such disparities. The perplexity deepens when a parallel is drawn between this situation and another analogous plight in the same region. While much attention has been directed towards Palestine, the struggles faced by the Kurdish nation in Kurdistan, the Middle East’s largest stateless national group, have largely languished in obscurity.
The aspirations of both Kurdistan and Palestine, along with their respective peoples, revolve around the fundamental right to self-determination, a principle enshrined in international law that asserts the right of all peoples to freely determine their political status, and to pursue their economic, social, and cultural development. While the principle seems balanced on paper, the stark contrast in attention between Palestine and Kurdistan is evident not only in media coverage and press releases but also in the realm of academia.
Read the article by Dr Loqman Radpey in Australian Outlook.