Gérard Chaliand

A history of the Kurdish people from the fall of the Ottoman Empire until the late 20th century, this work offers a collection of essays about the unique experience of Kurds under foreign governance (especially Turkish, Iranian, and Iraqi) and highlights common themes of the Kurdish struggle in each area (e.g. disunity, distrust, tribalism). The book succeeds in describing the convergence of Turkish, Persian, Arab, and Western influences that have subjugated Kurdish interests in Kurdistan, but fails to provide a context (cultural, political, etc.) for understanding the Kurdish people or the Kurdish movement beyond dates, statistics, and military alliances. In all, the book was a disappointment – dated and highly politicized. C… (meer)