Kurdish News Weekly Briefing, 27 September - 4 October 2013‏

1. Turkey presents reforms aimed at pressing Kurdish peace process
30 September 2013 / ReutersTurkey on Monday announced reforms seen as designed to salvage a peace process with Kurdish insurgents, including changes to the electoral system, broadening of language rights and permission for villages to use their original Kurdish names.
The pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) said the proposals, presented by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, were not enough to satisfy Kurdish militants who this month halted their withdrawal from Turkish territory. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) insurgency has tarnished Turkey's human rights record and crippled the economy in the mainly Kurdish southeast of the country. More than 40,000 people have been killed in fighting since 1984. Other reforms include allowing election campaigns to be conducted in languages other than Turkish and decriminalising the use of Kurdish letters not found in the Turkish alphabet. All primary school students in state schools will now also no longer have to recite a deeply nationalistic vow at the start of each week, which begins with the words: "I am a Turk".
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/09/30/uk-turkey-politics-reforms-idUKBRE98T0HP20130930

2. Turkey's Kurds say reforms do not go far enough
30 September 2013 / ReutersTurkey's proposed reforms aimed at addressing some Kurdish grievances do not go far enough to advance the peace process with militants, the head of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) said on Monday.
The package of reforms, including lowering an electoral threshold and allowing for Kudish-language education at private schools, did not meet the BDP's expectations, co-chairwoman Gultan Kisanak told a news conference. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan presented the much-anticipated proposals earlier on Monday.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/09/30/uk-turkey-reforms-kurds-idUKBRE98T0GC20130930<http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/09/30/uk-turkey-reforms-kurds-idUKBRE98T0GC20130930> 
3. What do New Judicial Reforms Include?
30 September 2013 / BianetAnnounced by PM  Erdoğan this morning around 11 am local time, new judicial reforms - known as democratization package - offer three alternatives for electoral threshold, state aid to political parties and facilitation on political party organizations.
While the speech was simultaneously translated to English and Arabic,  TRT Şeş - Turkey’s Official TV network in Kurdish - aired the speech live in Kurmanji, Sorani and Zaza dialects.  Some of the highlights from PM Erdoğan's statement included: 
“We are laying the ground for the discussion of three alternatives to the electoral thresholds. The current systems stir criticism. However, this system is not something that AKP brought. In 2002 elections, we came [to power] with the same system. Even at the time we founded our party, we brought the need to change this system. At our 4th Grand Congress, we already declared that we would change this as a part of our 2023 vision. Several reports including the one by Wise People Commission mentioned this. Now we are taking a step forward to resolve this.
http://www.bianet.org/english/politics/150293-what-do-new-judicial-reforms-include<http://www.bianet.org/english/politics/150293-what-do-new-judicial-reforms-include> 
4. Turkish PM unveils reforms after summer of protests
30 September 2013 / GuardianTurkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, unveiled the first big package of liberalising reforms in years on Monday, making overtures to the large Kurdish minority and proposing that headscarved women be allowed to sit in parliament and work as civil servants for the first time in the history of the Turkish republic.
The proposals, which have been repeatedly delayed due to their potentially incendiary impact, followed a summer of the largest and most persistent anti-government protests in Erdogan's 11 years in power. At a press conference in Ankara, where journalists were not allowed to ask questions, Erdogan announced that the headscarf ban would be lifted for women in public offices except for those that require uniforms such as the military, police and the courts. The ban has long been one of Turkey's most contentious laws and many analysts see the reform as an important step towards more democratic rights.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/30/turkish-pm-erdogan-reforms
 
5. Turkey's pro-Kurdish party rejects govt. reforms
30 September 2013 / Press TVTurkey’s pro-Kurdish party has rejected a recently unveiled reform package by Ankara, saying it is not enough to advance the ongoing peace process with the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) militants.  On Monday, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), Gulten Kisanak, said the reform package "didn't address any of their expectations."  The reaction comes shortly after Prime Minister Reccep Tayyip Erdogan proposed long-awaited reforms to enhance the rights of Turkey's Kurdish community. The reform package is seen as key to the continuation of the peace process aimed at ending the decades-long insurgency of the PKK.  Under the reforms, Kurdish-language education will be permitted in private schools, and candidates in elections will be allowed to campaign in Kurdish.  The reforms will also aim to ease rules preventing pro-Kurdish and other smaller parties from entering parliament. Women have been also granted permission to wear headscarves in state institutions.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/09/30/326900/prokurdish-party-rejects-govt-reforms/<http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/09/30/326900/prokurdish-party-rejects-govt-reforms/> 
6. ‘Historic’ package not ordered by jailed PKK leader, genuine AKP project: Turkish PM
28 September 2013 / HurriyetPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has brushed aside opposition criticism about a much-anticipated democratization package that will be made public Sept. 30, saying the reforms were not ordered by the outlawed Kurdistan Worker’s Party’s (PKK) jailed leader as claimed, but were genuine government projects. Erdoğan then returned the accusations, slamming the opposition parties for having “agitated against any reform” undertaken by the government since the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came into power.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/historic-package-not-ordered-by-jailed-pkk-leader-genuine-akp-project-turkish-pm.aspx?pageID=238&nID=55323&NewsCatID=338 <http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/historic-package-not-ordered-by-jailed-pkk-leader-genuine-akp-project-turkish-pm.aspx?pageID=238&nID=55323&NewsCatID=338> 
7. “Sayın Öcalan” Ruled as FoE
1 October 2013 / BianetThe European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found the Turkish State guilty of violating freedom of expression one more time.  The case concerned 19 applicants who stated that they had taken part in a petition campaign which had involved between 60 and 70 persons.  Relying on Article 10 (freedom of expression), the applicants complained about their conviction for having used the word “sayin” – which, they alleged, is a term of courtesy – when sending 67 letters on 18 July 2008 to the Halfeti State. The court ordered Turkey to pay 60,660 euros to 19 applicants. On 18 July 2008, 67 individuals sent letters to the Halfeti State Prosecutor within a petition campaign called “If addressing [someone] using the term “sayın” is an offense, then I too say “sayın” Abdullah Öcalan, I commit this offense and I denounce myself”. Notably, the letters included the following passage “If addressing [someone] using the term “sayın” is an offense, then I too say “sayın” Abdullah Öcalan, I commit this offense and I denounce myself”.
http://www.bianet.org/english/world/150332-sayin-ocalan-ruled-as-foe

8. BDP MP for Hakkari Adil Zozani: ‘We are determined to take this journey for peace’
1 October 2013 / Peace in Kurdistan campaignMr Adil Zozani, Member of Parliament for the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), was recently in the UK to attend the Labour Party Conference and address a public meeting with members of London’s Kurdish community. Peace in Kurdistan Campaign spoke with him about the conference, the BDP’s role in current peace negotiations for the resolution of the Kurdish Question, and about Turkey’s questionable role in developments in Rojava, northern Syria.
http://peaceinkurdistancampaign.wordpress.com/2013/10/04/bdp-mp-for-hakkari-adil-zozani-we-are-determined-to-take-this-journey-for-peace/
 
9. More cooperation needed for peace and democratisation to succeed
3 October 2013 / ANFThe so-called "democratisation package" presented on Sunday by Turkey's Prime Minister Erdogan is a step in the right direction", according to GUE/NGL MEP Jürgen Klute (Germany), but "cannot be seen as a substitute for the urgently needed constitutional reform" in the country. Commenting further on the details of the initiative, Klute criticises the "missed opportunity to bring new momentum to the peace process with the PKK, which was considered its main purpose. None of the key Kurdish demands - mother-tongue education in public schools, the release of political prisoners and the introduction of a fair electoral threshold to enable parliamentary pluralism - were fulfilled."
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/more-cooperation-needed-for-peace-and-democratisation-to-succeed.htm

10. Turkey accused of gross human rights violations in Gezi Park protests
2 October 2013 / Amnesty InternationalTurkish authorities committed human rights violations on a massive scale in the government’s attempts to crush the Gezi Park protests this summer said Amnesty International. In a report published today [available below] the organization details the worst excesses of police violence, during the protests, the failure to bring these abuses to justice and the subsequent prosecution and harassment of those that took part.
“The attempt to smash the Gezi Park protest movement involved a string of human rights violations on a huge scale. They include the wholesale denial of the right to peaceful assembly and violations of the rights to life, liberty and the freedom from torture and ill-treatment,” said Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International’s expert on Turkey.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/turkey-accused-gross-human-rights-violations-gezi-park-protests-2013-10-02

11. KCK trial continues in Istanbul
3 October 2013 / ANFThe seventh hearing of the KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Istanbul main trial resumes at Istanbul 15th High Criminal Court. 205 Kurdish politicians (94 in prison) are tried in the KCK Istanbul case. BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) Istanbul executive Nazım Adıgüzel and BDP Sancaktepe former chair Çiçek Arıç have defended themselves in the hearing today. Arıç pointed out that the KCK case was political and was aimed at legal political works of Kurds and their party BDP.
“I appear on the dock today because of my political identity, and because of the state's repressive and totalitarian policies against Kurds, democratic circles, women and their identity. It is nearly 20 years now that I am taking part in political events -such as press conferences, party meetings and rallies- which are all legal works of the BDP but are being put forwards against me as crimes”, she said.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/kck-trial-continues-in-istanbul.htm
 
12. Mass Grave Foundation to Establish in Diyarbakır
27 September 2013 / BianetHuman Right Association (IHD) Diyarbakır Branch is preparing to establish a mass grave foundation - an initiative aimed to form a DNA bank and seek disappeared people as well as deceased PKK members upon family applications. 
The foundation will work on to locate those PKK members who were killed in clashes, as well as civilians.  İHD Diyarbakır Branch Chairperson Raci Bilici released a statement on the their website, promoting the foundation.  “For decades, we have been working on the mass grave. The [Turkish] state has yet to make no attempts on the issue. We see this kind of initiatives in countries like ours, where there are long lasting wars. We have decided to start this foundation for this purpose.   “The foundation will work with anthropologists as well as archeologists and psychologists. We will also receive support from organizations like MEYA-DER, YAKAY-DER, Peace Mothers Initiative. The legal paperwork will be complete by January 2014.”
http://www.bianet.org/english/minorities/150250-mass-grave-foundation-to-establish-in-diyarbakir
 
13. Armed feuds increase in the southeast following PKK withdrawal
27 September 2013 / SE TimesSocial conflicts that were suppressed during the army-PKK conflict are resurfacing in the wake of the ceasefire, with violent confrontations between families becoming more frequent in the southeast. Dozens of people were killed in land disputes and blood feuds this summer. Earlier this month, five people were gunned down in front of Mardin prison as they went to visit relatives.  The southeast is no stranger to such incidents, but local experts and civil society leaders say the problems have become aggravated since the PKK's withdrawal to northern Iraq. They say social and economic precautions are needed.  Rustem Erkan, head of the sociology department at Diyarbakir's Dicle University, attributed the uptick in feuds to changes in the countryside. Feuds decreased with migration to cities and a drop in the value of land caused by the war. Thanks to the peace process, people are moving back to their villages, and competition for resources is increasing. 
http://turkey.setimes.com/en_GB/articles/ses/articles/features/departments/society/2013/09/27/feature-01<http://turkey.setimes.com/en_GB/articles/ses/articles/features/departments/society/2013/09/27/feature-01> 
14. Kurdish PYD leader denies Syrian Kurds seek secession
3 October 2013 / eKurdSalih Muslim, the leader of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), deemed to be the most powerful politician among the Syrian Kurdish parties, was in Geneva to hold meetings with international organizations and explain his perspective. The PYD, which has close ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), controls areas inhabited by Kurds in northern Syria (Eastern Kurdistan), and has a highly disciplined fighting force made up of a few thousand soldiers. When I met him, he told me that these organizations “sometimes receive information from other Syrian Kurdish groups trying to distort our image. We came here to express our viewpoint and convey facts from the field.” When I asked him about the role played by the United Nations in the Syrian conflict, he laughed and replied, “In the mid-1990s, the UN almost stopped working after the United States refused to pay its dues. Does this answer your question?”
http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2013/10/syriakurd910.htm
 
15. Iraq Kurd opposition party consolidates position in regional vote
28 September 2013 / ReutersIraqi Kurdistan's main opposition party has come in second in the autonomous region's parliamentary election, according to preliminary results on Saturday that left the shape of the government still unclear a week after the vote.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) share power in the previous cabinet with a combined 59 out of 111 parliamentary seats, having fought out their rivalries in a civil war during the 1990s.
But from its genesis ahead of the last election in 2009, the Gorran (Change) party has rapidly built a following among those disenchanted with corruption and the lack of transparency, particularly around revenues from the region's oil.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/28/us-iraq-kurds-vote-idUSBRE98R0EJ20130928<http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/28/us-iraq-kurds-vote-idUSBRE98R0EJ20130928> 
17. London Kurdish Film Festival Screenplay Competition
3 October 2013 /ANFRecognising the vital importance of well constructed and developed screenplays for the enrichment of Kurdish cinema, the London Kurdish Film Festival is organising a competition to select the best entry for a screenplay for a feature film on a Kurdish theme. The competition forms part of the 8th London Kurdish Film Festival that is taking place between 15th and 24th November 2013. The wining entry will receive a prize of five thousand US Dollars ($5000), sponsored by University of Kurdistan – Hewlér. – The competition is open to all.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/culture/london-kurdish-film-festival-screenplay-competition.htm
 
COMMENT, OPINION AND ANALYSIS
 18. Say It Again. Kurdish Independence Now
September 213 / The TowerThe civil war in Syria and the increasing fragility of Iraq have thrown the long-term future of these states into question. For years, they were ruled by brutal regimes that held power in the name of Arab nationalism; as a result, they failed to knit together the populations they ruled into a coherent national identity. With the decline of repressive centralized authority in Syria and Iraq, however, older nationalities and identities are reemerging. Chief among them are the Kurds. Indeed, current regional developments make Kurdish statehood a realistic possibility for the first time in living memory. I have reported on a number of occasions from both Iraqi and Syrian Kurdistan. I last visited these areas four months ago, and have an extensive network of friends and contacts there and in the wider Kurdish world. And it has become overwhelmingly clear to me that Kurdish sovereignty would be of benefit to the Kurds, the region as a whole, and Western interests in the Middle East.
http://www.thetower.org/article/freedom-for-the-kurds-now/
 
19. When demagogy replaces democracy. Or, the empty package
30 September 2013 / ANFThe AKP propaganda machine had been working for weeks. And finally the day of the announcement arrived. The "religious" character of this "democratisation package" which was presented as a "revelation" was quite unsettling. Skepticism was the most prevalent attitude and not only among Kurds. Indeed the "surprise" promised by Prime Minister Erdoğan proved to be as inexistent as the content of the so much boasted about "democratisation package" unveiled today. To begin with, looking around the room of the press conference, one could not stop thinking and feeling quite unsettled about the fact that most of the Kurdish (and left) journalists who would normally have attended PM Erdogan's presentation were not there. The contradiction about the PM presenting his "democratisation package" and the absence (not because of their will) of these journalists was painful: these journalists were not there today because they are sitting in prison.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/when-demagogy-replaces-democracy-or-the-empty-package.htm<http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/when-demagogy-replaces-democracy-or-the-empty-package.htm> 
20. Erdogan Democratization Package: What Does it Offer Minorities?
30 September 2013 / Al MonitorTurkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his long-awaited "democratization package" in a press conference on Monday, Sept. 30.  He said the announcement of the package was a "historic moment for Turkey." He sent a message to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Kurdish movement by saying that new reforms will follow as long as politics are used as a means of solving issues.
In his talk, Erdogan frequently referred to the 1960 military coup. He said that the coup had broken the mechanism of a well-functioning democracy, and that the shadow of that coup has obstructed change in Turkey since. This was an indirect allusion to the Gezi protests. The 1960 military coup followed intensive protests by university students, secular and urbanized segments of the population — a bit similar to the makeup of the Gezi Park protests. 
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/09/democratization-package-kurds-turkey-minorities.html <http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/09/democratization-package-kurds-turkey-minorities.html> 
 
21. Turkish democracy: Making letters Q, W and X legal
3 October 2013 / Alliance of Kurdish Rights“Cowards cannot erect victory monuments. Those who are afraid of change, reforms and advanced standards cannot proceed even one step forward.”
Those were the words of Prime Minister Erdogan when he presented the people of Turkey with his democracy package, “the result of an 11-year process” that began when his AK party came to power in 2002. His promise that this package would not be the last of reforms were emphasized by his EU Minister Egemen Bagis: “Even among the EU member states today, no other government can keep up with the pace of reforms being carried out by the AK Party. Turkey has repeatedly established itself as the most reformist country in Europe.” Turkey, a country infamous for being the world’s largest prison for journalists and for refusing to take responsibility for a massacre committed by its military against 34 civilian Kurds in December 2011, now compliments itself on being the most reformist country in Europe.
http://kurdishrights.org/2013/10/03/turkish-democracy-making-letters-q-w-and-x-legal/
 
22. After the protests: Recep Tayyip Erdogan announces a reform package
5 October 2013 / The EconomistIS THE grand reformer back? It depends whom you ask. Many among Turkey’s tiny Syrian Orthodox Christian community, or Syriacs, would say “yes”, in response to the cocktail of legislative and administrative reforms unveiled on September 30th by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the conservative prime minister. It includes a provision under which the state will return land belonging to Mor Gabriel, the world’s oldest Syriac monastery.
Ask the country’s largest ethnic minority, the Kurds, and you might get a different response. Never mind that pupils at state-run schools will no longer need to declare every Monday morning that “I am a Turk” or that thousands of “Turkified” villages can reclaim their original names. In the words of Gulten Kisanak, co-chair of Peace and Democracy (BDP), Turkey’s biggest pro-Kurdish party, “this package does not respond to any of our expectations”.
http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21587261-recep-tayyip-erdogan-announces-reform-package-after-protests
 
23. Erdogan's reforms - how does the West see it?
1 October 2013 / World MonitorTurkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's democratic reform package has a mixed reception from the foreign press. Most picked up on the lifting of the headscarf ban in state institutions and education in Kurdish language in private schools as the key areas of reform. "Erdogan eases headscarf ban as Kurds say reform plan falls short" was the Bloomberg Businessweek headline. Kurdish human rights lawyer Sezgin Tanrikulu also quoted, says the reforms "fail to amend anti-terror laws and other legislation used to jail Kurdish politicians." Most of the press linked the introduction of the Kurdish language reforms to the peace process with the outlawed PKK, and its political wing, the BDP. Some of the other reforms include the llifting of restrictions on using Kurdish alphabet and place names which will be able to revert back to their orginal Kurdish place names.
http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=119522 <http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=119522> 

24. How Turkey blew its chance to lead this troubled region 
29 September 2013 / IndependentWhatever happened to the idea that Turkey was the coming power in the Middle East, with its surging economy and stable democracy under a mildly Islamic government which might be the model for Arab states as they ended decades of police state rule in 2011? Turkey seemed perfectly positioned to lead the way, with no serious enemies in the region and with good relations with the US and the EU. Oversimplified headlines comparing modern Turkey with the Ottoman empire in the days before it became a great power in the 16th century did not seem wholly exaggerated.
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/how-turkey-blew-its-chance-to-lead-this-troubled-region-8846456.html
 
25. End of empire: The glory of the Ottomans - and the devastation wreaked since they lost power 
29 September 2013 / IndependentThere are few things more profoundly dead than an ex-empire, but around the time that the Soviet empire came apart at the seams, I became aware that the ghosts of a much older one – that of the Turkish Ottomans – were still haunting its former domains.
It was in the spring of 1990. All Europe's communist dominoes had already fallen over, the most recent being Romania, whose dictator Ceausescu had just been executed. The only one left standing was tiny, reclusive Albania. Every half-serious newspaper in Fleet Street wanted a bite of it, but foreigners were barred from entering – not only journalists, but even ordinary tourists. The only outsiders admitted were archaeology enthusiasts who were occasionally permitted to undertake study tours.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/end-of-empire-the-glory-of-the-ottomans--and-the-devastation-wreaked-since-they-lost-power-8842053.html <http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/end-of-empire-the-glory-of-the-ottomans--and-the-devastation-wreaked-since-they-lost-power-8842053.html> 
26. No Friends But the Kurds
2 October 2013 / National InterestAliza Marcus: The United States has spent the past two years struggling to craft a policy to weaken Syrian president Bashar Assad and Al Qaeda-linked militants at the same time. Now, as President Barack Obama seeks to strip Syria of its chemical weapons, it’s time for Washington to build ties to those inside Syria who are committed to the same anti-Assad and anti-jihadist goals: the Kurds. Many Kurds in Syria, for decades oppressed and marginalized by the regime, oppose both Assad and the jihadists. They have championed reshaping Syria into a democratic state that can protect their rights. They have expanded their hold over the traditionally Kurdish region of north and northeast Syria bordering Turkey and Iraq. In the process, the Kurds have built up fledgling and secular local governing institutions.
http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/no-friends-the-kurds-9161# <http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/no-friends-the-kurds-9161%23> 
 
27. Syria’s Assad needs to unite with Kurds against Turkey (the country dreams of restoring the Great Ottoman Empire)
3 October 2013 / GagruleSyrian Kurds are in heavy fighting with the rebels of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the jihadists. The Kurds have long spoken about the need to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad and even fought against government forces. The situation has changed now, much owing to the skillful diplomacy of the Syrian government. For the Kurds, Assad is a lot better than opposition. At the end of last week, in the course of nearly two days of fighting near the towns of Atma, Jindaris and Hassakeh, the Kurds killed nearly 30 Islamists, including several leaders of jihadists, including Abu Omar al-Chechena (also known as Abu Omar al-Shishani), news agencies said. The Turkish media confirm the information, making references to the “moderate Kurds” from the “National Council of Syrian Kurds” (KNC), the Kurds from the Party of Democratic Union (PYD) as one side of the conflict and “moderate” FSA and Al-Qaeda groups – the already mentioned An- Nusra” and the “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” (ISIL).
http://www.gagrule.net/?p=10980
 
28. Watch out for bad neighbours
5 October 2013 / The EconomistTHE results of Iraqi Kurdistan’s general election, announced on October 2nd, were scarcely earth-shaking. The dominant party won a few more seats, with merely a faint whiff of impropriety. The long-declining share of its historical rival fell a bit more, and an upstart party confirmed its growing appeal. Yet for this largely autonomous region of Iraq the lack of drama itself counts as a victory. Bounded by more powerful states, as well as by violent turmoil and ceaseless intrigue, Iraq’s 5m Kurds have carved out a zone of relative peace and prosperity. A terrorist attack in their capital, Erbil, on September 29th only underscored the anomaly. It was the first such incident in six years. The assailants killed six policemen, but failed to reach their target, the headquarters of the Kurds’ main security agency. By contrast, on the same day alone Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, was hit by at least a dozen bombs that left 55-plus people dead.
http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21587271-iraqi-kurds-haven-peace-being-buffeted-last-turmoil
 
29. Panel 4: The Turkey-Iran-Iraq Nexus 
19 June 2013 / Middle East InstituteThe fourth panel at the fourth annual Turkey Conference featuring Henri J. Barkey, Lehigh University, Alireza Nader, RAND Corporation and Denise Natali, National Defense University. Moderated by Phebe Marr, Author and Historian.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z6AfBTJAU8&noredirect=1 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z6AfBTJAU8&noredirect=1>