Iraq: The Kurdish Predicament in Iraq: A Political Analysis
2000; Middle East Institute; Volume: 54; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1940-3461
Autores Tópico(s)Islamic Studies and History
ResumoThe Kurdish Predicament in Iraq: A Political Analysis, by Michael M. Gunter. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999. x +136 pages. Notes p. 163.Bibl. p. 175. Index p. 181. $39.95. This book, the author's fourth on the Kurds since 1990, is well-documented, detailed account of the recent Kurdish history in Iraq. The purpose of the book seems be present a new analysis of the tragic descent into civil war and the many other events that have occurred (p. xi) since Gunter's first book on the Kurds in Iraq, published in 1992. In his first chapter, the author takes the advise of many Kurds whom he met in 1993 read book, Cradle of Mankind: Life in Eastern Kurdistan, by Edgar T. A. Wigrams, British Christian missionary and his brother who lived and travelled through Kurdistan for ten years during the first decade of the 20th century. After giving detailed account of the divisions Wigrams observed among the Kurds, Gunter concludes that despite changes, the divisions that plagued the Kurds remain almost century later. Presenting the past as prologue, the author looks (p. x) at the two main Kurdish leaders, Mas`ud Barzani of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Jalal of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), since they have been absolutely crucial the development of the Iraqi Kurdish predicament (p. 11). This is by and large the most interesting chapter of the book. Gunter deserves credit for collecting these valuable personal details. It is the misfortune of the Kurds of Iraq, not surprisingly, that they are dominated by Barzani and Talabani. The former emerges in Gunther's study as traditional Kurdish with his inherent conservatism (p. 19). The author describes him as defensive man, who seems look upon the status quo as good for him and his family, and as man who lacks the global vision of Talabani (p. 21). emerges as secular leader, as world traveler (pp. 23, 29), and as man of much wider interests than Barzani (p. 22). Yet, Gunter also portrays as man who talk[s] and eat[s] too much,-a populist politician who tries please everybody but ends up contradicting himself' (p. 32). Gunter concludes that, some, comes across as being bombastic and fickle. And although he has acquired great experience in diplomacy, he is too optimistic (ibid.). The third chapter analyzes the Iraqi opposition, with which the Iraqi Kurds have specific and problematic relationship. The purpose of the fourth chapter (on the KDP-PUK civil war) is to analyze the background of the longstanding KDP-- PUK rivalry and the relapse into not only foster better understanding of the causes of the present infra-Kurdish conflict, but also enable us know how help bring the conflict an end and avoid similar problems in the future (p. …
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