The dramatic story of the Kurds and their quest to create a nation—essential
reading for
anyone who wants to understand how the turmoil in Iraq will play out.
Kurdistan is an invisible nation, and the Kurds the largest ethnic group
on Earth without a homeland,
comprising some 25 million moderate Sunni Muslims living in the area around
the borders of Turkey,
Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Through a history dating back to biblical times, they
have endured persecution and
betrayal, surviving only through stubborn compromise with greater powers.
Yet, like the Basques in Spain
and the Chechens in Chechnya, they have yearned for official statehood—and
in the denouement of the
conflict in Iraq, they could take a giant step toward that goal. But will
they?
As Quil Lawrence relates in his fascinating and timely study of the Kurds,
while their ambition and
determination grow apace, their future will be largely dependent on whether
America values a budding
democracy in the region, or decides to yet again sacrifice the Kurds in the
name of political expediency. In
any event, the Kurdish north may well prove to be the defining battleground
in Iraq. At this extraordinary
moment in the saga of Kurdistan, informed by his deep knowledge of the people
and region, Lawrence’s
intimate and unflinching portrait of the Kurds and their heretofore quixotic
quest—their deep history
mingling with the controversy and complex realities of the present—offers
a vital and original lens
through which to contemplate the future of Iraq and the surrounding Middle
East.
From Invisible Nation:
Kurdistan has everything the Bush administration promised for Iraq. It’s
a Muslim state that is prodemocracy,
pro-America, and even pro-Israel. So in a dearth of good news, why isn’t
the United States
crowing about this one great achievement in Iraq? Because Kurdistan’s success
could be catastrophic.
Like no event since the 1948 creation of Israel, a declared Kurdish state within
the borders of Iraq will
unite the entire region in opposition, from the Black Sea to the Persian Gulf…The
Kurds understand
this better than anyone, and have been willing so far to limit themselves
to virtual statehood. No force
within Iraq can stop them at the moment, and the forces outside have been
kept at bay only by the
presence of the American army.
Praise for Invisible Nation
"In this dramatic narrative, Quil Lawrence has untwined one of the most
tangled histories of the Middle East and made it comprehensible.
Invisible Nation is a riveting account of Iraq's Kurds and their
essential role in the reshaping of modern Iraq. For anyone wishing to
understand how the Kurds' quest for nationhood plays into the ongoing
U.S. war in Iraq, this book is a must-read."—Jon Lee Anderson
