The 16 million Kurds are the largest nation in the world with no state of their own. Their history is one of constant revolts and bloody repression, massacres, deportations and renewed insurrection.

This classic collection of writings from Kurdish intellectuals and other internationally respected experts discusses the origins of Kurdish nationalism and analyzes their contemporary demand for autonomy in the aftermath of the Gulf crisisand the setting up of safe havens.

It combines historical analysis of the Kurds under the Ottoman Empire with a thorough study of Kurdish life in all areas of Kurdistan - Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria and the former Soviet Union. Later sections cover recent Kurdish history, with the emphasis on the Iraqi Kurds and the Kurdish movement in Turkey. Also included is an assessment of