Kurds

Both Syrian Gov’t and Kurdish forces must Respect Civilian Rights, Allow Aid, Investigate Alleged Abuses

Iraqi Gov’t Agrees with US to Take Custody of 7,000 ISIL Fighters in Light of Syrian Instability

The thousands of ISIL fighters imprisoned by the Kurds in 14 detention centers had terrorized western and northern Iraq and eastern Syria

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Practicing Social Ecology: From Bookchin to Kurdish Rojava and Beyond

Peter G. Prontzos

Review of Eleanor Finley Practicing Social Ecology: From Bookchin to Rojava and Beyond, Pluto Press, 2025, by Peter G. Prontzos. Vancouver (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Murray Bookchin was one of the most significant thinkers – and activists – in the 20th century, beginning with his pioneering ecological analysis, Our Synthetic Environment, which was […]

Agrovoltaics

Iraqi Kurdistan aims at 3 Gigawatts of Solar, as Households and Villages Rush to Rooftop Panels

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Iraqi Kurdistan is developing an interest in sustainable energy, despite being an oil exporter via Kirkuk. Solar provides little of Iraq’s electricity at the moment, but the situation is set to change rapidly over the next decade. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has set a goal of putting in 3 […]

Kurds

Lessons from a historic Act of Disarmament in Kurdistan

Waging Nonviolence

After decades of armed struggle, the PKK is laying down its weapons and beginning a new nonviolent chapter in the Kurdish independence movement. Matt Meyer ( Waging Nonviolence ) – On July 11, in the hills of Northern Iraq, a scene unfolded that would shake even the most experienced disarmament activist. Walking down a steep […]

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Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) Begins Disarmament after 47 Years of Conflict with Türkiye

Volkan Isbasaran

Istanbul (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – After nearly five decades of armed conflict with the Turkish state, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has begun a symbolic disarmament process as part of ongoing peace efforts. On July 11, a ceremony was held in the Jasana Cave, located in northern Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Thirty PKK members, […]

Kurds

Syria integration deal with Kurds brings Relief after Days of bitter Violence wracks war-torn Country

The Conversation

By Rob Geist Pinfold, King’s College London (The Conversation) – The new Syrian government has signed a deal with to integrate the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia into the regime, in what is a big step towards uniting the fractured country. The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-led (HTS) government has been struggling for legitimacy since it […]

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Iraq’s Barzani hails Syrian Leader’s Assurances on future of Syrian Kurds

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The fall of the al-Assad regime in Syria has broached again the issue of the largely Kurdish Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and its relationship to the new government. Many Kurds are fearful for their future, as Euronews reports. The officers of the new government have said […]

Kurds

The self-governing Kurdish northeast of Syria comes under attack, with Country in Flux

The Conversation

By Pinar Dinc, Lund University (The Conversation) – After more than a decade of brutal civil war, it took Islamist militants just 11 days to sweep through Syria and topple the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The offensive, which has been driven by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has forced […]