The Kurds' Right to Self-Determination

This graduate paper is aimed at examining the existence of the Kurds’ right to self-determination and the perspective for the Kurds to realize their right to self-determination. The main objectives of the paper are: (a) to examine the sources of international law that contains norms of right to self-determination; (b) to make comparative analysis of the right to self-determination with other principle of international law; (c) to define the term “people” in the aspect of self-determination; (d) to assess the Kurds’ actions in the aspect of the right to self-determination; (e) to assess perspectives of realization of the right to self-determination. Based on this research the following conclusions were made: firstly, the definition of the right to self-determination is still unclear and does not meet the requirements of modern reality and in that case doctrinal sources are crucial when examining the right to self-determination; secondly, right to self-determination related with other principles of international law and does not conflict with them; thirdly, Kurdish people definitely have right to self-determination as they answer the demands of different definitions of people; fourthly, Kurds’ right to self-determination is violated in the whole region except Iraq, that is expressed both in actions of the authorities and in norm of national legislation; fifthly, discrimination of the Kurdish people caused a series of armed conflicts that makes impossible to evaluate the perspective of the development of Kurds’ right to self-determination until peace will be established.