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Republic of Kurdistan; The first glimmer
of hope that demised early
6.6.2011
By Abdulla Hawez Abdulla
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ekurd.net |
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June
6, 2011
Kurds in 1920 were nearest to statehood than ever as
outcome of the Treaty of Sevres. It envisaged
interim autonomy for the predominantly Kurdish areas
in Turkey and the British-occupied province of Mosul
(current Iraqi Kurdistan area). But, the possibility
for such a state never occurred, since Kemal Ataturk
renounce submission at Sevres. He started a
revolution against the Christian forces and drove
them out. Then, Kurdistan became four parts. The
dream of independent Kurdistan dramatically demised,
and the inception of brutal suppression employed.
One of four parts of Kurdistan consist modern Iran.
Although government of Iran hasn’t implemented same
level of brutality as its counterpart in Turkey,
yet, it has always been opposed any suggestion of
Kurdish separation. Iran has had greater reasons
than Turkey to oppose such a step, because it has
had more large minorities such as Arabs and Azeries.
From the beginning, Iranian authorities allowed
Kurds to use their own language and express their
culture openly. It’s noteworthy to say, however,
that Kurds are around 10 percent of Iran’s
population, less than other large minorities such as
Turkics and Baluchies. Unlike Turkey and Iraq,
however, Kurd’s land in Iran has less demographic
share. Kurds in all four parts have almost no vital
activity for independence that might be because of
brutal suppression of central governments. At the
late of 1930s and the beginning of 1940s, affected
by European antinationalism, nationalist Kurds
emerged. At the beginning of 1940, nationalism
beside communism became a favorable common ideology.
As a result of World War two in late August 1941,
British troops occupied southern part of Iran, with
the Soviets controlling the north. The aim of the
occupation was to dislodge Shah of Iran who the
Allies forces suspected would turn his pro-German
sympathy into Military Corporation. There was no
Iranian government at that time. In the absence of a
Central government, the Soviets tried to attach
northwestern of Iran to the Soviet Union. City of
Mahabad which mostly inhabited by Kurds wasn’t
occupied by any of the forces that led to vacuum of
power. Soviet promoted nationalism amongst Kurds.
These factors made Kurds think about self-governing
for Kurds within the Iranian state. In 1942, as a
result of vacuum of power, a committee supported by
tribal leaders took control over the administration
of the city. Later at that year, a nationalist
political party formed, called the Society for the
Revival of Kurdistan (its Kurdish original name was,
Komalay Jiyanaway Kurdistan or JK). Qazi Muhammad,
member of a respected family in Mahabad elected as
the chief of the new party. The party was under
Soviet influence, but not control. Then, however,
before the declaration of Kurdistan republic, the
party elected a committee that started administering
the area. The JK’s administration was successful for
over five years until the fall of the republic. In
1945, the Kurdistan Democratic Party had started;
all member of JK joined the new party. The new party
asked for autonomy for Kurds whining the Iranian
state not an independent one, Kurdish as an official
language and asked for democracy in local
administration. Generally, Soviet’s attitude toward
Kurdish administration was ambivalent, and they
didn’t support it clearly. Kurdish successful
administration under Qazi Muhammad’s rule enhanced
every aspect in the people’s life in this area.
In September 1945, Qzi Muhammad and other Kurdish
leaders visited Soviet’s consul in Tabrez to seek
for a new Kurdish republic, and they went to
Azerbaijan for the same purpose. There they found
that Azerbaijan’s Democratic Party is seeking a
republic in Iranian Azerbaijan. On December 10,
Azerbaijan’s Democratic Party took control over the
East Azerbaijan province from Iranian troops and
declared a republic; likewise, Qazi Muhammad decided
to take the same step. After five days, on December
15, Kurdish people’s government was found in Mahabad.
On January 22, 1946, Qazi Muhammad proclaimed the
republic of Kurdistan in Mahabad. According to the
republic’s Manifesto, they aimed to gain autonomy
from Kurds inside the Iranian state, Kurdish become
an official language in the area, electing locals to
all official positions and unity and fraternity with
Azerbaijanis. The republic was never seeking for
independence out of Iranian limits. They aimed to
gain autonomy and self-governing whining Iran.
Kurdish printing spread throughout the area and a
lot of publication were printing in the republic.
That boosted the education and printing media in the
area. Economically, even though, Soviet hadn’t done
much to support Kurdistan republic in Mahabad, but
it had an important rule in protecting the borders
of the republic from Iranian forces’ intervention.
Also as a kind of encouragement for the new-born
republic, Soviet was buying the whole of the tobacco
that was producing from that area. But regarding the
military corporation, Soviet, neither did train the
Kurdish republic’s fighters nor did supply them by
weapons.
On March 26, 1946, under the pressure of Western
powers especially United States, the soviets pledged
the Iranian government to withdraw from northern
Iran. This step was the beginning of the end of both
Mahabad and Azerbaijan republics. Firstly, in June,
Iranian forces re-controlled the Iranian Azerbaijan.
That was slow killing for Kurdistan republic of
Mahabad. The republic isolated from all sides,
eventually led to destruction of first and only
Kurdish republic in the modern history. The main
reason behind the republic’s destruction is clear,
Soviet withdrawal from northern Iran,www.ekurd.netbut
there are some internal reasons as well. The
Kurdistan republic hasn’t had a strong army. General
Mustafa Barzani was the commander-in-chief in the
republic’s government, but he didn’t have strong
enough army to protect the republic from Iranian
threats. The army was formed from voluntarily
non-trained fighters. Another reason of Kurdistan
republic’s collapse is tribal disagreements, a
problem that all Kurdish movements suffered from
throughout the history. During the republic’s
governing, tribal chiefs didn’t help the republic
because of their relation with the central
government. Ironically, tribal leaders helped the
Iranian forces to topple the Kurdistan republic in
Mahabad that’s despite, they were Kurds. Tribal
chiefs support for Iranian government instead of
Kurdistan republic was disenchantment and fatal for
the republic in the military aspect.
Diplomatically, likewise all other Kurdish
movements, the Kurdistan republic’s ruling Kurdistan
Democratic Party failed to gain support from
superpowers. Although Soviet, one of the main powers
at that time encouraged the foundation of Kurdistan
republic, but when western powers pressed on it to
pull out from Iran, it never thought about Kurdish
and Azerbaijani republics because they never had a
strategic alliance. Also, western powers especially
United States did support Iranian government
precisely because they didn’t have other choices.
Kurds took Soviet’s side; they never attempted to
gain western sympathy. There was a possibility of
Western power’s support for Kurdish state if they
asked their support; because of one reason which is
they weren’t Iranian alliance either. Qazi Muhammad
and other republic leaders’ insist of relations with
Soviet led to republic’s demise. Some may say
politics is like a card sometime the winds mayn’t
blow in your favor, but the problem in republic’s
case is they even didn’t pick a card to test their
chance. The absence of accurate diplomatic skills
together with tribal chiefs’ embroiled in fighting
with their brothers led to Kurdistan republic’s
demise.
The foundation of Kurdistan republic in Mahabad,
first and only Kurdish republic in modern history,
led to a crackdown aftermath. But it hasn’t finished
the glimmer of hope in Kurdistan. General Mustafa
Barzani after fleeing to Soviet for eleven twelve
years, returned to Iraqi Kurdistan in 1958. Barzani
started a new struggle for Kurdistan’s independence
but this time in Iraqi part of Kurdistan. He gave
another hope for Kurdish statehood. Also, in
Kurdistan of Turkey the struggle started more
actively in the wake of Kurdistan republic’s
destruction. Iraqi Kurdistan liberated and gained
self-governing with all other aims of Kurdistan
republic in Mahanad. No one can deny military
struggle’s role in the autonomy of Iraqi Kurdistan,
but diplomatic struggle also had a vital role.
Kurdish movement was sending representative to
United States, western powerful countries, even to
Israel to gain their support for Kurdish autonomy
because they knew that they can’t achieved just by
military struggle. The lake of diplomacy in other
parts of Kurdistan halt their hope of
self-governing. The quake of Kurdistan republic’s
demise still affecting Kurds in Iran, they should
wake and never lose hope, especially while the
region live Arab nation’s uprising against their
autocratic leaders. Kurds can invest this
opportunity to gain more and more right to live in
long awaited prosperous life. Moreover, the only
reason that collapsed all Kurdish struggle toward
self-governing is differences, so the unity and
fraternity of all political parties is the guarantee
of any future hope for Kurdish statehood.
* Abdulla Hawez Abdulla is studying politics and
International Relations at University of Kurdistan –
Hawler (UKH)
Copyright © 2011 ekurd.net
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