Menu Close

Articles on Kurds

Displaying 1 - 20 of 97 articles

Human rights activists gather in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 27, 2024, to condemn executions of political dissidents in Iran. Ali Khaligh/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Despite UN warnings, Iran’s execution of Kurds and political dissidents continues unchecked

In the wake of the death of Jîna Mahsa Amini in police custody in 2022, Iranian authorities have executed political dissenters at what the UN chief described as ‘an alarming rate.’
An Iranian woman protests the death of Mahsa Amini, who died after being detained by the morality police in Tehran in September 2022. This photo was taken by an individual not employed by the Associated Press and obtained by the AP outside Iran. (AP Photo/Middle East Images)

Iranian protesters are making demands in charters and bills of rights

Following a brutal government crackdown, Iranian protesters are organizing strikes, sit-ins, boycotts and publicizing their demands in the form of manifestos, charters and bills of rights.
In this Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, photo obtained by The Associated Press, a police motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of a young woman who had been detained for violating the country’s conservative dress code in downtown Tehran, Iran. (AP Photo)

Iran on fire: Once again, women are on the vanguard of transformative change

Women have long demanded change in Iran. In the aftermath of the death of a woman for a hijab violation, women protesters may be leading their country to a freer and more just society.
People attend an exhibition of Russian equipment destroyed by the armed forces of Ukraine, in Lviv, Ukraine, Aug. 11, 2022. Olena Znak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Ukrainian people are resisting the centuries-old force of Russian imperialism – Ukraine war at 6 months

Democratic nation-states were supposed to be the legitimate successors of empires. It hasn’t quite worked out that way in the past century, and Russia’s war on Ukraine is a reflection of that.
A mural depicting Pope Francis on a concrete wall around the Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad, in preparation for the pontiff’s visit, AP/Photo/Khalid Mohammed

Pope’s upcoming visit brings attention to the dwindling population of Christians in Iraq

The events that followed the 2003 US invasion of Iraq started a cycle of violence against the country’s minority Christian population. The pope’s visit is meant to bring some ‘healing and comfort.’
Released prisoners sit in a bus outside Ankara, Turkey – while government critics remain behind bars due to Turkey’s sweeping terror laws. AP

Turkey releasing murderers – but not political opponents – from prison amid coronavirus pandemic

To stem the spread of COVID-19, Turkey is releasing 90,000 prison inmates. Not on the list for release: tens of thousands of academics, journalists and others the regime sees as political threats.
President Donald Trump has rapidly, and without warning to allies or even his own officials, shifted U.S. foreign policy in Syria. AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Syria military presence risks US credibility with world community

In northern Syria, Trump has caused U.S. allies and rivals to view American commitments in a new, uncertain light. Other countries may now shift to depend less on the U.S., weakening national power.
A mass grave is excavated in Khan Al-Rubea in 2003 that witnesses say is filled with the remains of Shia whom Saddam executed in 1991. AP/Hasan Sarbakhshian

Broken trust: How Iraqis lost their faith in Washington, long before the Kurds did

Distrust of the US – even if misplaced – can linger for decades, thwarting Washington’s foreign policy goals. A former US diplomat in Iraq reflects on that country’s skepticism of US aid efforts.
Flag of Kurdistan on military uniform. Bumble Dee/Shutterstock.com

Why there is no Kurdish nation

Despite many attempts, the Kurds have never won and kept their own nation – though, after World War I, they came close.
U.S. forces are still in Syria, but their role has changed substantially in recent weeks. AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad

Could Congress reverse Trump’s decision to pull troops out of Syria?

Since the 1940s, Congress has largely let the president make decisions, while members of the House and Senate endorse or condemn those actions from the sidelines.

Top contributors

More