kurdistan | Al Majalla

After 100 years of armed struggle, what next for the Kurds?

The history of Kurdish factions' demands and tactics across four states is fascinating, not least for their relationships with the states in question.

Rustum Mahmud 13, Feb 2024

A Kurdish man walks past debris following a missile strike launched by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the Kurdistan region’s capital of Arbil, on January 17, 2024.

AFP

Is Iraqi Kurdistan turning into an arena to settle regional scores?

Friday's drone attack on one of Iraq's largest gas fields has led to a temporary suspension of production, resulting in major power cuts across the country's northern Kurdistan region.

Rustum Mahmud 27, Jan 2024

Iraqi protesters block a road following protests in the multi-ethnic Iraqi city of Kirkuk on September 2, 2023.

AFP

Kirkuk slides into violence over Kurdish party HQ handover

Distrust runs deep in the multi-ethnic, oil-rich city of Kirkuk as "rioting" and gunfire leaves young men dead. Al Majalla lifts the curtain on the events that transpired.

Shelly Kittleson 03, Sep 2023

Tires are burnt along a road north of the Iraqi city of Kirkuk on June 30, 2010, as Kurds protest against the local authority’s pending removal of their houses built on government land.

AFP

Kirkuk: Iraq’s perpetual missed opportunity

Fresh clashes have erupted in Kirkuk with at least one Kurdish protester reportedly killed. Al Majalla explains why the ethnically diverse city has long been a powder keg and flashpoint for violence.

Rustum Mahmud 02, Sep 2023

In a chat with Al Majalla, former Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari details the run-up and aftermath of the US invasion of Iraq and its impact on the the Kurdish quest for legitimacy.

Barbara Gibson

The Kurds of Iraq and their painstaking quest for legitimacy

In a chat with Al Majalla, former Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari details the run-up and aftermath of the US invasion of Iraq and its impact on the the Kurdish quest for legitimacy

Rustum Mahmud 27, Apr 2023

Members of exiled Komala Party inspect aftermath of bombing in the village of Zrgoiz, near Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, where the bases of several Iranian opposition groups are located, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq has killed nd wounded dozens. (AP PhotoAla Hoshyar, Metrography)

Iran’s Biggest Fear: An Independent Kurdistan

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has frequently violated Iraqi sovereignty by firing missiles and drones at a number of targets in Iraq’s semi-autonomous northern Kurdistan region (KRG…

Suzan Quitaz 30, Dec 2022

A police motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 19, 2022. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Protesters Rally Across Iran in Third Week of Unrest Over Amini's Death

Protesters rallied across Iran and strikes were reported throughout the country's Kurdish region on Saturday as demonstrations ignited by the death of a woman in police custody entered their third…

01, Oct 2022

Iraq’s Finance Minister Ali Abdul Amir Allawi

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister: Government Has Begun Radical Process to Reform Economy

The Iraqi government has begun a radical process to reform the economy through the white paper, said the country’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ali Abdul Amir Allawi, noting that 2022’s…

Salam Zeidan - Baghdad 22, Oct 2021

Followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr celebrate holding his posters, after the announcement of the results of the parliamentary elections in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Oct. 11, 2021. Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced the parliamentary results of the November 10 vote which suggested that al-Sadr is the current front-runner with initial results coming from several Iraqi provinces. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Iraq Elections 2021

The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced 96% of the initial results for the early general elections held on Oct. 10, the fifth parliamentary vote since 2003. Many…

Mahdi Karayem 15, Oct 2021

A file photo of an Iraqi policeman manning machine gun near the Iraqi-Syrian borders at the Abu Kamal-qaim border crossing, the main border post between Iraq and Syria, September 8, 2012. (REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani)

Smuggling across Syrian-Iraqi Borders: New Challenge to Intl Coalition

Smuggling activities between Syria and Iraq poses a new challenge for the US-led international coalition, whose troops are located on both sides of Syrian-Iraqi borders. The coalition forces are…

Jiwan Soz 27, Aug 2021

Popular
Editor's Pick

Israel forcibly evacuates Palestinians from southern Gaza on January 26, 2024.

AFP

Politics

Israel’s ‘voluntary’ migration policy in Gaza is anything but

30 March 2025

Palestinians are beginning to dribble out of the battered enclave as Israel starts implementing its "voluntary migration" plan. Gaza is being ethnically cleansed before our very eyes.

Amr Emam

Eduardo Ramon

Profiles

Ekrem İmamoğlu: The Turkish presidential candidate behind bars

30 March 2025

The man many think could end Erdoğan's quarter-century reign was arrested just days before he was nominated as the CHP presidential candidate. Who is he, and why is he behind bars?

Omer Onhon

Diana Estefanía Rubio

Politics

Iran's nuclear programme and the possibility of military action

29 March 2025

The US and Israel want Tehran to completely dismantle its nuclear infrastructure, which it will not do. If they do decide to strike, Iran has limited options on how to respond.

Majid Rafizadeh

A man walks past a mural depicting the late Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano in Montevideo.

Eitan ABRAMOVICH / AFP

Culture & Social Affairs

Remembering Eduardo Galeano: the voice of the oppressed

28 March 2025

The passion and imagination of the Uruguayan writer remain timeless, not least over Gaza. Ten years since his passing, Al Majalla revisits his works and words.

Antoine Jockey

The new Syrian government, with President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the middle, poses for a group photo at the presidential palace on Saturday, March 29, 2025.

AFP

Politics

8 things you need to know about Syria's new government

31 March 2025

As Syria takes this important step forward, the journey ahead remains fraught with obstacles but also hope

Al Majalla - London

Sections

Regions

More

LATEST ISSUE

After 100 years of armed struggle, what next for the Kurds?

Is Iraqi Kurdistan turning into an arena to settle regional scores?

Kirkuk slides into violence over Kurdish party HQ handover

Kirkuk: Iraq’s perpetual missed opportunity

The Kurds of Iraq and their painstaking quest for legitimacy

Iran’s Biggest Fear: An Independent Kurdistan

Protesters Rally Across Iran in Third Week of Unrest Over Amini's Death

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister: Government Has Begun Radical Process to Reform Economy

Iraq Elections 2021

Smuggling across Syrian-Iraqi Borders: New Challenge to Intl Coalition

Israel’s ‘voluntary’ migration policy in Gaza is anything but

Ekrem İmamoğlu: The Turkish presidential candidate behind bars

Iran's nuclear programme and the possibility of military action

Remembering Eduardo Galeano: the voice of the oppressed

8 things you need to know about Syria's new government

OPINIONS

8 things you need to know about Syria's new government

Iran and the Houthis: complex ties and a history of deception

Why Hezbollah smuggling can't be easily stopped

Bernie Sanders pushes Senate vote to block arms to Israel

Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter