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Republic of Kurdistan
Timeline: 1983: Doomsday

OTL equivalent: Kurdistan
Flag Coat of Arms
Flag of the Republic of Kurdistan Coat of Arms
Location of Kurdistan
Location of Kurdistan
Anthem "Ey Reqîb"
Capital
(and largest city)
Serbajar Teze (built over the ruins of Diyabarkir)
Other cities Vans, Erbil
Language
  official
 
Kurdish
  others Turkish, Arabic
Religion
  main
 
Islam
  others Christianity, Yazidism, Zoroastrianism
Ethnic Groups
  main
 
Kurds
  others Turks, Arabs
Demonym Kurdish
Population approx. 13,500,000 
Independence from Republic of Turkey
  declared March 23, 1984
Currency Kurish Dirav

After the destruction of the Turkish government on Doomsday, the Kurds in the southeast formed the Republic of Kurdistan. Later, with the defeat of Iraq in the Iraq-Iran War, Kurdistan gained Kurdish territory in northern Iraq.

History[]

Pre-Doomsday[]

Kurdistan ("Land of the Kurds"; old Curdistan; ancient Corduene) is a geo-cultural region wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population, and Kurdish culture, language, and national identity have historically been based.

The earliest official use of the toponym Kurdistan dates back to 12th century when Saljukid ruler Sanjar conquered the Kurdish territory and established a province of that name, centered at Bahar, near modern Hamadan.

Contemporary use of Kurdistan refers to parts of eastern Turkey (Turkish Kurdistan), northern Iraq (Iraqi Kurdistan), northwestern Iran (Iranian Kurdistan) and northern Syria inhabited mainly by Kurds, Kurdistan roughly encompasses the northwestern Zagros and the eastern Taurus mountain ranges, and covering small portions of Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Iraqi Kurdistan first gained autonomous status in 1970 agreement with the Iraqi government and its status was re-confirmed as an autonomous entity within the federal Iraqi republic in 2005. There is also a province by the name Kurdistan in Iran, although it does not enjoy self-rule.

Some Kurdish nationalist organizations seek to create an independent nation state of Kurdistan, consisting of some or all of the Kurdish areas, while others campaign for greater Kurdish autonomy within the existing national boundaries. This dream was achieved after Doomsday.

Post-Doomsday[]

Due to its NATO membership, Turkey was not spared by Doomsday. The capital city of Ankara, along with the largest Kurdish city Diyarbakır, was destroyed by Soviet nuclear attack, plunging the rest of the country into chaos. Amidst the confusion, the Kurdish Workers' Party, the strongest Kurdish militant group, convened in the city of Van on March 23, 1984, and declared the independence of Kurdistan. This began an exhausting year-long war for independence that ultimately resulted in a Kurdish victory against the remnants of the Turkish Armed Forces and their withdrawal north to the city of Patnos. The first years of the new nation's existence was focused mostly on survival and building up a functioning state. During these years, the nation was led by the oligarchical PKK who refused to relinquish their grip on power, but this regime was critical to the success of the nation.


1986-1999[]

Muslim Liberation Army[]

In 1987, an organization known as the Muslim Liberation Army (MLA) was created, with some support from Iran, to combat perceived imperialism and to liberate all Muslims from the West. This brought them into direct conflict with the Republic of Iraq and other Muslim states in the region due to their radical brand of Islam. Soon they were formed, the MLA developed close relations with Kurdistan because of their mutual goal of striking against Iraq and liberating its population, specifically the Kurds of northern Iraq.

Collapse of Iraq[]

In 1990, Iraq was defeated through the combined efforts of Kurdistan and Iran and much of their top leadership was killed by a radiological bomb detonated in Baghdad. As a result of the ensuing chaos, the country fractured, which allowed most Kurdish-inhabited areas of northern Iraq to be reclaimed by Kurdistan, with the assistance of the rebels from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP). Following the end of the war, Kurdistan established a formal alliance with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Kurdish-Hatayan War[]

The Republic of Hatay was a Turkish survivor state located in southern Turkey. Led by a council of military generals, the Republic was rapidly expanding with the goal of forming a powerful state. As they expanded eastward, they approached the borders of the Republic of Kurdistan. In the beginning, there were several indecisive border skirmishes with the Hatayans who soon fell back. However, to the surprise of the Kurds, on Saturday, February 8th, 1993, the Republic of Hatay, believing victory would be assured, launch an invasion of the Republic of Kurdistan. At the Battle of Diyarbakır, the Hatayans were decisively defeated by the Kurds and driven out of Kurdish territory, however, Kurdish forces chose not to pursue. This caused a dramatic rethinking in Hatay's overall strategic plans and permanently halted their eastward expansion.

2000-Present[]

Kurdistan was preoccupied, militarily, for most of the 2000s with indirectly opposing the expansion of the Sultanate of Turkey. Through financial aid, weapons, and political support, they strengthen various Wasteland states to withstand the Turkish advance. However, their efforts failed to turn back the Sultanate's advance. By 2000, the Turkey and Kurdistan once again shared a direct border. While there was much clamoring for war on the Turkish side, the lesson of the Hatayan defeat in 1993 persuaded the Turks to look elsewhere to expand and merely secure their southern border with Kurdistan.

Despite their indirect military efforts, there has been no direct military conflict during the 2000s, except for minor border skirmishes in Iraq and Syria. This time of peace has allowed the Kurdish government to develop the country, especially their oil resources, and secure their new place among the nations of the world.

In 2005, Kurdistan began the construction of a new capital city to serve as the new administrative center of the country. The current capital, Vans, was deemed unsecurable due to its proximity to the Patnosi border. The new capital, Serbajar Teze (New Capital in Kurdish), will be built upon the ruins of Diyarbakır. The city will feature an elaborate citadel holding all major government offices in the city center surround by ringed city districts. The new capital will be more secure and properly equipped than the old capital. The capital was completed on 26 November 2010.

Government[]

Though technically a democratic republic by their constitution, Kurdistan is an oligarchical state that has been ruled by the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) since independence. The Kurdish National Assembly is the parliament of the nation, but candidates are chosen by the party leadership and since the PKK is the sole, legal political party, they retain control of the Assembly. The true power of Kurdistan rests in the hands of the President, who is commander-in-chief of the military and has the power to dismiss the Assembly at will, though it is rarely done. While there have been many critics of the government, most have been suppressed and many Kurds continue to be grateful for their independence and continue to support the PKK in the mock elections held every few years.

Military[]

The Kurdish Armed Forces are the military of the Republic of Kurdistan. The Armed Forces are composed of the Kurdish Ground Forces (Army) and the Kurdish Air Forces. The Kurdish Ground Forces are the primary organ of the Kurdish Armed Forces. It is composed of 160,000 personnel, 110,000 of which are soldiers. Its primary duty is to patrol the Kurdish border, but they have also launched armed sorties into Central Iraq on several occasions. The Kurdish Air Force is a very small organization, due to the lack of domestic aircraft, with only 20,000 personnel. Their primary duty is to patrol Kurdish air space and aerial surveillance of the Kurdish border. However, their funding has increased in recent years to develop into a modern air force to oppose any expansionist aims of Turkey.

Economy[]

Since independence, Kurdistan has managed to develop into a rapidly growing economy. Their primary resource is oil, but export potential has been limited due to the chaos in former Iraq and Syria. However, recent deals with Iran have enabled Kurdish oil to travel through pipelines to be transported from Iranian ports to overseas destinations. While the Iranians have taken a significant percentage (10%) of the total profits, this has enabled Kurdistan to finally enter the global oil market. Other major industries include agriculture and mining, from which it also exports.

International Relations[]

Kurdistan is allied with the Islamic Republic of Iran and has good relations with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The United Assyrian Republic is a Kurdish protectorate and is completely surrounded by Kurdish territory. Kurdistan currently controls Assyrian foreign policy. Due to their alliance with Iran, relations have grown tense with the Gulf States Union. Also, due to the long rivalry with the Turks, the Sultanate of Turkey and Kurdistan continue to have no formal relations and a heavily armed border.

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