Panel discussion with Mr. Ismail Beşikçi

We are pleased to announce a panel discussion with Mr. Ismail Beşikçi.

Mr. Ismail Beşikçi is a renowned sociologist, Kurdologist, PEN Honorary Member and former Nobel Peace Prize candidate who caught the attention of international politics with his work on the Kurdish Question and the continuing struggle of Kurds including their right to self-determination in the age of nation-states. He is the author of numerous anthropological studies on the social stratification of Kurds and Kurdistan, which he portrays as an international colony under the occupation of Iran, Iraq, Syria Turkey.

Mr. Ismail Beşikçi was imprisoned in Turkey for a total of 17 years for his scientific works on the Kurds and the Kurdish cause which consistently contradicted the distorted Turkish official historiography and political discourse.

Kurdish aspirations for statehood predate the formation of the modern nation states of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey which rule over Kurdistan by employing both soft and hard power; from outright denial of the existence of the Kurds to forced assimilation and genocidal policies. Despite the discernible denial of the most basic human rights, let alone the right to self-determination, the plight of the Kurds received little attention in the global arena.

Mr. Ismail Beşikçi will discuss the Kurdish struggle for independence from Sykes-Picot to the recent Independence Referendum held in Iraqi Kurdistan in September 2017 and the reasons behind the lack of support from the international community.