The Fletcher School

A Graduate School of International Affairs

Recent Publication

Iranian Kurds in an Age of Globalisation

Reprinted from Iran and the Caucasus

By Geoffrey Gresh, F10

Volume 13, Number 1, 2009 , pp. 187-196(10)

Abstract: Since 2003 and the establishment of Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government, Iran has witnessed a rise in ethnonationalist activity among its Kurdish population. Much of the motivation for this activity stems from the political success of the Kurds in Iraq. The spread of Iranian Kurdish nationalism has also been influenced by globalisation forces, such as global communications technologies, transnational networks, and increased mobility across borders. In this age of globalisation, the Iranian government's ability to rule over the Kurds will continue to erode, unless it caters toward Kurdish demands of minority rights.