The story of the Kurdish people is an unending tragedy, in which natural resources serve simultaneously as a lifeline and a noose. A new chapter is being written these very days — and perhaps this time it carries the seed of hope for a better future for this courageous nation.
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The theoretical territory of Kurdistan is divided among Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
Although the Kurdish nation numbers tens of millions of people, they have never been granted a homeland of their own, despite bitter attempts across recent decades.
The Treaty of Sèvres, signed after World War I, promised the Kurds a state — but a change of government in Turkey shifted the regional balance of power, and the Kurds were erased from the plan in the Treaty of Lausanne.
After World War II, they attempted to establish an autonomous region in Iranian territory with Soviet backing — an autonomy that was swiftly crushed by Iranian military force.
During Saddam Hussein's rule, the Kurds of Iraq waged bloody uprisings that were met with outright massacre, including the use of chemical weapons.
Recent years have not been kind to them either.
After helping to defeat ISIS in Iraq and voting for independence in a referendum, the Iraqis launched an all-out war against them, seizing Kirkuk in the process.
In Syria, al-Jolani's new regime is pushing them out with shocking violence, while Erdoğan provides political and military support in an effort to keep them as far from Turkey's borders as possible.
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The curse of the Kurds is their land, rich in natural resources.
The oil and gas reserves in the region are a treasure coveted by every major power in the world, and when stakes that large are on the table, Kurdish independence is treated as an afterthought.
These reserves are the Kurds' only hope for independence, as they would provide the revenues needed to build a state.
At the same time, without these natural riches, the United States would likely not have given its tacit consent to the Syrian regime's shocking campaign to displace the Kurds — a campaign that was followed almost immediately by the entry of American energy companies into the region.
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In stark contrast to the rest of the world, Israel has always supported the Kurds.
This support is part of Ben-Gurion's doctrine of aiding minorities that oppose hostile regimes in enemy states.
The Kurds also supplied Israel with oil, receiving in return money and military assistance they badly needed.
Now it appears the Kurds are once again being called to the colors — and that they will be the ones who must ignite the latest wave of revolt against the Ayatollah regime.
Behind closed doors, independence — or at least autonomy — has apparently been promised to them once more.
And once again, there will apparently be those who will do everything in their power to ensure they never receive it, despite the promises made and the endless sacrifices the Kurds have made in the fight against evil.
Will this brave people finally be granted a home this time — or will it once again turn out that they were used on the battlefield only to be abandoned the moment victory was won?
Time will tell.
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*Pictured: A landscape in Iraqi Kurdistan.*