{"title":"Rightful Recognition of Kurdistan as a Colony and De-colonizing Knowledge Production","authors":"Ozlem Goner","doi":"10.33182/tc.v3i1.3147","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33182/tc.v3i1.3147","url":null,"abstract":"In recent years the field of Kurdish Studies has witnessed several workshops and panels on the theme of “decolonizing,” influenced by such conversations in Postcolonial, Black and Indigenous Studies. Interestingly, many of these attempts in academic venues have not engaged with the question of ongoing colonial status of Kurdistan and how this status impacts knowledge production. This paper aims to propose a clear definition of a relationship of coloniality with a focus on colonial violence in the region of Bakur and explain why such terminology is necessary, intellectually and politically. As it explains the limits of the terminology used in academic knowledge production about state violence and Kurdish resistance, it also discusses contemporary alternatives to these dominant academic frameworks. It is argued that a rightful decolonization of knowledge about Kurdistan and freedom movements in the region can take place when we simultaneously recognize ongoing colonization, and acknowledge that it is ultimately the organized anti-colonial movements, which can determine definitions of self-determination, as well as the political means to gain and sustain it.","PeriodicalId":471806,"journal":{"name":"The commentaries","volume":"6 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138949210","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Impact of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict on the Middle East: The Role of Turkey","authors":"Seevan Saeed","doi":"10.33182/tc.v3i1.3185","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33182/tc.v3i1.3185","url":null,"abstract":"This paper examines the concepts of interdependence and correlations within the context of the ongoing conflict between Russia and NATO, alongside the dynamics involving regional states and non-state actors in the region. At present, the conflict's epicentre seems to be the Black Sea region. Nevertheless, the intricate challenges stemming from the Middle East continue to highly significantly influence the management of conflicts between global and regional powers. In the midst of these intricate relations, Turkey confronts a pivotal quandary: it must either assume the mantle of a proficient mediator in the Ukraine-Russia conflict or risk relegation as a marginalised supporter. Thus, Turkey's multifaceted role in both the Black Sea and the Middle East stands as a litmus test for the interplay of interdependency and correlations.","PeriodicalId":471806,"journal":{"name":"The commentaries","volume":"20 7","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135410753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Netherlands and the prosecution and trial of Islamic State suspects in Rojava","authors":"Joost Jongerden","doi":"10.33182/tc.v3i1.3130","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33182/tc.v3i1.3130","url":null,"abstract":"After the military defeat of the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq, the challenge of dealing with foreign IS fighters emerged, with many of them being held in detention facilities under the jurisdiction of the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria. Yet, indecisiveness and unwillingness of the anti-IS collation to establish a mechanism for the actual prosecuting and trying of IS suspects has raised significant concerns, as it could potentially lead to the re-emergence of the organization. This article delves into the Netherlands' efforts to explore potential collaborations with the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria for prosecuting and trying IS suspects. The data for this article was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (Wet Openbaar Bestuur, WOB) request. The documents, spanning from 2018 to 2021, reveal that more than just international law, political considerations played a significant role in hindering the implementation of cooperation with the authorities in the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria.","PeriodicalId":471806,"journal":{"name":"The commentaries","volume":"39 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136253828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Chronology of the PKK: From group formation to party (1973–1980)","authors":"Joost Jongerden","doi":"10.33182/tc.v3i1.3023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33182/tc.v3i1.3023","url":null,"abstract":"The Kurdistan Workers Party (Partîya Karkêren Kurdistan, PKK) is often considered a latecomer that miraculously survived the 1980 military coup. Yet the establishment of the party in 1978 was preceded by a long process of group formation that started shortly after the 1971 military coup in Turkey. This article presents a chronology of the PKK during the 1970s. The main aim of this chronology is to show how the PKK came into being as the result of the intensive groundwork of a committed cadre, covering the process of ideological group formation (1973–77) and party building (1978–80). The chronology presented here ends in 1980 when the PKK withdrew many of its militants that were not arrested or killed to Syria and Lebanon following the military coup of September 12 of that year. This withdrawal became the beginning of a reorganization process leading to the start of the guerrilla insurgency in 1984.","PeriodicalId":471806,"journal":{"name":"The commentaries","volume":"143 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135358077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}