Kurds

Iranian sculptor builds statues for humanity, not auctions

For over four decades, Iranian Kurdish sculptor Hadi Ziaoddini has sought to keep his art human and untainted by profit and politics.

Iran

Residents in northeast Syria brace for winter as oil smugglers thrive

While Deir ez-Zor is shipping oil other places thanks in part to a man named Hyena, many of its residents are suffering from poverty and the cold.

Syria

Quran manuscript a 'blessing' for an Iranian Kurdish village

A centuries-old manuscript of the Quran continues to play a central role in the identity of residents of an Iranian village.

Iran

Israel’s love of Kurds weaponized by their foes

Israel's support of Kurdish autonomy in Syria is not always welcomed — at least publicly — by Syria's Kurds.

Israel

Turkey’s Kurdish sweep backfires

President Erdogan’s Syria plan has had unintended ramifications: Saudi Arabia and the UAE are now cozying up to the Kurds, the Kurds are uniting, and the Russians are guiding the solutions on the ground.

Syria

Syria’s Kurdish parties do not see eye to eye

While Syria's Kurds call for a unified political project to manage Kurdish territories, they remain confused about the differences between the Kurdish National Council and the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Syria

SDF woos Syrian Kurdish rivals in wake of Turkish assault

Could the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Iraqi Kurdish-backed Kurdish National Council, long at loggerheads, come to an accord in the wake of Turkey's invasion of Kurdish-administered areas of Syria?

Iraq

Peshmerga unity depends on healing political divisions

Corruption and tribalism are two of the obstacles blocking the unification of Kurdish peshmerga forces.

Iraq

Trump and Erdogan: A transatlantic love affair

Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Donald Trump of the United States get along very well but appear to achieve little for the countries' long-term relationship.

Turkey

As Iraqi calls to amend constitution rise, Kurds fear loss of political gains

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq is concerned that forthcoming Iraqi constitutional amendments will diminish their rights and lead to the loss of Kirkuk.

Iraq

Re-empowerment of career diplomats could help Turkey salvage global image

Operation Peace Spring undeniably revealed what was long feared: Turkey’s inability to explain itself to the world because of structural damage to the traditional workings of the Foreign Ministry, alienated skilled career diplomats and new agencies that are active in foreign policy.

Turkey

Is the PKK worried by the YPG's growing popularity?

The PKK, known for its hierarchical nature and its discipline, may be displeased by the growing global visibility of the Syrian YPG.

Syria