Summary of Presentation on…
“Whither Kurdistan”
with
Dr. Jill Derby and Ted Morse
Dr. Jill Derby and former Diplomat, Ted Morse, teamed up to provide a riveting presentation on the Kurds– their history, their role in central Asia, their internal divisions as well as cohesion, and their current conflict with the Islamic State. Derby has a PhD in anthropology, speaks Arabic, and has traveled widely in the region. She also serves on the Board of the American University of Iraq in Kurdistan. Morse is a retired Diplomat and international consultant with 50 years of experience, with much of that having been spent in Iraq and the Middle East.
Derby provided a historic evolution of the Kurdish region, whose people live primarily in four different countries– Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq. Largely Sunni-Muslim, the Kurds have one of the longest ethnic histories in the Middle East– dating back to 2400 B.C. However, the Kurds have never had their own independent nation, despite the multiple divisions of the region throughout history. Derby also discussed the importance of loyalty to various clans (many of us hadn’t realized how many internal divisions there were among the Kurdish people).
Derby and Morse also focused on the strength and weaknesses of various para-military forces in the Kurdish region, including the Peshmerga. They both strongly support increased assistance to the Kurdish groups, directly when possible or through the Iraqi government when necessary. Despite their deep respect and affection for the Kurdish people, neither felt it was politically feasible to push, at this time, for an independent Kurdish state carved out of the four impacted countries. They did, however, strongly advocate that the U.S. support efforts to enhance Kurdish autonomy, particularly in Iraq.
The PowerPoint that Derby and Morse used is below. Given the depth of interest shown in this presentation, we will ask both participants to provide us additional commentary on the Kurds, particularly with respect to U.S. policy toward that group and region, and the current conflict with the Islamic State.