The Kurdish case, genocide or victims of politics? Legal memories from Al-Anfal

Abstract

Kurdish identity has been shaped mainly through violence, denial and traumas. The collective memory of Kurdish people cannot find an affirmation though the main international institutional channels, since the thesis for which they suffered a genocide has not reached a common consensus. Another perspective may be the one for which they have been victims of wrong politics in the international scenario. This research aims at analyzing this dual perspective, to answer one of the most under discussed matters of international society. Starting from an historical overview, the focus is then shifted on the societal component and the memories built by Iraqi Kurdish. These memories are not free from biases: this will be analyzed, as well as the role that Western countries took in the Kurdish cause.