Should large ethnic groups have the right to an independent country?

Due to the large population, cultural history, and human rights violations as a consequence of discrimination, large ethnic groups should have the right to an independent country.

There are many large ethnic groups that do not have a country, one of the biggest ones are the Kurds. Not many people know about the Kurdish people. They are the worlds biggest ethnic group without a country. Being the minority, they have suffered a lot throughout history and have never given up on dreaming of their own independence and country. Kurds should have the right to an independent country because they are a distinct ethnic group, people with their own language, culture, traditions and even religion. The Kurds have not occupied anyone’s land, Kurdistan or “Land of the Kurds” was known ever since the creation of humanity. In 1920, after World War I, when the Ottoman Empire was divided, the Kurds were promised independence by the Treaty of Sevres. However, the Kurds did not receive their independence because the Turkish leader- Mustafa Kemal Ataturk rejected the treaty in 1923. Their neighbors for most of their history have defeated the Kurds. In modern times, Kurds have tried to set up independent states in Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria, but their efforts have been crushed every time. The suffering of the Kurds has been going on ever since the Kurds wanted their independence. Less than 25 years ago, Iraqi Kurds suffered one of the Middle East’s worst genocides of modern history. In 1986, Iraq’s former president Saddam Hussein ordered Operation Al Anfal, killing 150,000 Kurds over the course of three years-and these are only the Iraqi Kurds. (Amnesty International)
It is not only the Kurds that are suffering under the fact that they do not have a country; Palestinians are also struggling in the modern world. For example, the Israeli blockade that’s impoverishing 1.5 million Palestinian civilians. (global issues) They do not have access to many jobs, leasing of homes etc. The Palestinians are being treated as third class citizens in Israel. Electricity, sewerage, roads and water supplies are easily given to the Israeli people nearby the security barrier, but Palestinians do not have the access to many of these services.


Human rights are being violated, and discrimination has still not been stopped in Palestine, although United Nation somewhat supports the Palestinians, they are lacking most of the world’s support. The wall has taken away homes of poor innocent people, destroying their lives and sources of income. Not to mention the harassment and indignities, which the Palestinians and Kurds both have to go through. United Nations (United Nations) said that more than 400,000 other Palestinians living to the east of the wall will need to cross the barrier to get to their farms, jobs and services, this social problems are affecting not only Palestinians, but also the Kurds.
The fact that these barriers are constantly being constructed, Palestinian houses are being demolished, this is a tendentious maneuver used by Israel. The International Law itself had said that the Israeli government is doing this to quote “use demolitions to collectively punish the Palestinians and to seize property for the expansion of Israeli settlements.” The Israeli army and security forces in Israel have destroyed more than 3,000 homes, while others are being forcibly dispossessed from their homes.

Others might argue that the Palestinians do not have the right to an independent country because of Hamas. Hamas is a Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist movement that opposes peace with Israel, therefore they do not acknowledge Israel, Hassan Nasrallah’s opinion to this issue is that “The Palestinian must stop throwing stones, and the Israelis must stop firing rockets. And in the view of the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, rockets are equal to stones.” (Brainy Quotes) This quote shows that it isn’t only the Palestinians that are violent people, but Israel also uses ferocity towards the Palestinians.

Going back to the Kurds; although there is clear evidence that Kurdistan should be a country, many voices believe that the right for the Kurds to have an independent Kurdistan would be an inappropriate move. Many excuses have been made as to why Kurdistan should not be an independent country. “Kurdistan lacks defined borders” It is clear to not only Kurds that Kurdistan is a region in South-Eastern Turkey, Northwest Iran, North Iraq, and Eastern Syria. This has and always will be the area of Kurdistan.

To be clear, the Kurds and Palestinians aren’t the only ethnic groups that do not have a country, however Kurds and Palestinians have gone through a lot and still do not have their independent nation. Two reasons why ethnic groups deserve the right to an independent nation is because of their large population, established culture, and the protection from human rights violations and discrimination.