Wladimir van Wilgenburg
Turkish Intelligence Crisis Could Damage Peace
But sadly, the AKP lacks a clear strategy and Yeni Safak columnist Kursat Bumin wondered if the government is backtracking on its earlier promises of reforms, especially when Deputy PM Bulent Arinc now says that Kurdish is not a language of civilization and there is no need for Kurdish education, while he said last December that he would give Kurds at least as “much education, language, culture and identity rights as we all have in this country.”
Facebook Filtering Kurdish Content, Closing Accounts
“I contacted Facebook administrators three times but never got any response from them.”...
Kurdish Opposition Representative: Iranians Want Regime Change
We oppose terrorism as a matter of principle....
Opposition Plays Nationalist Card
Recently, there were rumors that Talabani was willing to make concessions on Kirkuk. The Gorran MP Latif Mustafa accused some people within the PUK of wanting to make Kirkuk an autonomous region, not part of Kurdistan. Gorran leader Nawshirwan Mustafa also attacked the PUK, saying that the borders of Kurdistan, including Kirkuk, are non-negotiable, and that Kurdish territory cannot be given away....
Controversial Kurdish Islamist to Face Court on Wednesday
“Who will take her life? I do not know. Al-Qaeda, Ansar al-Islam, my relatives, my children,”...KDP and PKK’s Syrian Dilemma
KDP leaders are also in regular contact with Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP)-led government. For instance, KDP’s foreign relations chief Hemin Hawrami recently visited Turkey. Although the KDP and PKK had plans to organize a united Kurdish conference, the split between the PKK and the KDP over Turkey have quashed the event for now. While the KDP looks to Turkey to become more independent from Baghdad, the PKK’s main aim is to isolate Turkey and to seek an autonomous space to support their insurgency against Turkey....
US Intel Chief: Iran Trying to Strengthen Ties with Kurdistan
“Syria's allies, like Iran, Hizbullah and Iraq are defending Syria,”...Kurdistan Needs An Opposition
If the opposition joins the government now, they will lose the trust and votes of many people. Despite Change’s claims that it is opposed to corruption, many Change leader became rich when they were in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and still benefit from their former positions in the party. As a result, Change has to be careful with MPs taking benefits from the state....Author info
Wladimir van Wilgenburg
Wladimir van Wilgenburg studied the BA International Relations and
Political History and also finished the two minors Journalism and New
Media and Conflict Studies. This year he is busy with his masters
degree in Conflict Studies and Human Rights at the University of
Utrecht. He has been working as a freelance journalist and analyst for
Turkish, Kurdish, Dutch and American institutes and media outlets.
Recently he participated in a project of the NGO Pax Christi about the
future of the Dutch military.