With more than 30 million people spread across Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran, they are a minority everywhere they live.
Now Kurdish groups are battling both the Islamic State and forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad as well as Turkey, a key U.S. ally.
On this edition of Global Journalist: a deeper look at the role of the Kurds in the swirling conflicts of the Middle East.
Our guests this week:
- Michael Gunter, a professor of political science at Tennessee Technological University and author of the book “The Kurds Ascending: The Evolving Solution to the Kurdish Problem in Iraq and Turkey.”
- David Romano, a professor of Middle East politics at Missouri State University and author of the book “Conflict, Democratization, and the Kurds in the Middle East.”
Mohammed Salih, a journalist in Erbil who's reported for many news outlets, including al-Jazeera, The Guardian and al-Monitor.