As the United States led toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq has taken place within the last year, the Kurdish struggle for self-determination in Northern Iraq still looks doubtful. The coalition does not see a role for the Kurds in post-Saddam Iraq. .
About 80,000 Kurdish peshmerga fighters were refused a role in securing the newly liberated country. About 28,000 anti-Saddam fighters from 20 various groups were actually disarmed, while many Saddam loyalists who were looting army arsenals were not disarmed. The coalition does not have any plans to disrupt the national integrity of Iraq's borders.
The Kurds are inhabitants of Kurdistan, spread and divided over Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. There are no actual borders of Kurdistan. There are about 20 million Kurds living today between the borders of these countries. They are the largest ethnic nationality without an actual country.
After the First World War, in which the Ottoman Empire was defeated, the treaty of Sevres was concluded between Turkey and the Western Alliance. The treaty had the blueprint to create an autonomous Kurdish state. This treaty became negated after Turkey fought for its independence and did not allow the country to be divided. Now a new treaty had to be signed with the western world. In this Treaty of Lausanne the new situation with the new frontiers was acknowledged. The treaty of Sevres was now void, and so were the Kurdish rights. Moreover Kurdistan was now divided in 4 parts, the reason why until now its territory is spread over 4 countries.
Self-determination under the influence of people like the American president Wilson and Lenin was gaining popularity in the early 1900's. Wilson declared in 1916 "Every people has the right to chose under whose sovereignty it will fall." Lenin also was a supporter of the right of self-determination. In his opinion, it was a good measure against colonialism.
