ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - “World powers should be much more on your side,” prominent Slovenian philosopher and intellectual, Slavoj Zizek, said of international support towards the Kurds in an exclusive interview with Rudaw’s Zana Kayani.
"Nobody wants to give you [Kurds] actual full autonomy which I think you deserve,” Zizek said in the interview that aired on Monday.
Kurdish populations are divided between Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Iran as a result of post-war treaties in the 1920s. “Full autonomous territory would bring much more stability in the region" and also “serve as a protective barrier between the different states,” the philosopher stated, lamenting the colonial legacy of division.
He acknowledged that among leftist circles, the fight for Kurdish identity and independence is rejected due to its reliance or connection to US support. "You should not sacrifice yourselves for others," Zizek stated, urging Kurds to remain unaffected by the criticism.
Zizek said one of his dreams is to visit a part of Kurdistan, adding that Kurds are a “miracle” and the most progressive people in the region.
"You have the full right to do whatever is required to guarantee your survival.”
"You cannot rely on any higher force to protect you,” he stated.
Zizek said that other ethnic groups which find themselves in a similar situation to that of the Kurds, guilt for not having more rights can be attributed to them but that this does not apply to the case of the Kurds.
He referred to the examples of Kurds in Turkey, an area he is more familiar with, stating that the “tragedy” began when the modern Turkish state was formed. “In this state, there was no place for you [Kurds].”
In addition to the Kurdish question, the author of The Sublime Object of Ideology, also touched upon the war in Ukraine, expressing strong opinions against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of the country in February last year.
"Putin is repeating this again and again; that what he aims at is a kind of a restoration of... not so much of the Soviet Union as the tsarist empire,” Zizek said.
He also criticized Russia for capitalizing on a series of recent coup d’états in central Africa by attempting to portray them as anti-western. Acknowledging that while this is relatively true, it is hypocritical given the involvement of Russian mercenary groups in this region.
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