When The Wall Street Journal published a letter on December 25, 2024, with the headline “A Kurdish State for America’s 250th Birthday”, the Kurdish nation felt, for a moment, recognized and acknowledged. For a people so often ignored or betrayed by international powers, linking the Kurdish struggle for freedom to America’s most sacred anniversary — 250 years of independence — carried a profound and historic meaning. It was as if history, for a brief moment, paused to acknowledge the existence of the Kurdish nation.
For more than a century, the Kurdish people have lived without a state of their own, divided among four regional powers: Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. The promise of independence given to the Kurds in the Treaty of Sèvres after World War I was erased by the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923. Since then, the Kurdish nation has continuously faced genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and systematic oppression:
In August 1979, only a few months after the Iranian Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa of jihad against the Kurdish people, launching a bloody campaign that led to the killing of thousands of Kurds in Iran.
In the 1980s, Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq carried out the Anfal campaign, a systematic operation of extermination and ethnic cleansing against the Kurds. Over 180,000 Kurds were killed, thousands of villages were destroyed, and chemical weapons were used against civilians — most notoriously in Halabja.
In the 1930s, the Turkish state carried out the massacre of Kurds in Dersim, part of its long-standing policy of denying Kurdish identity and suppressing collective rights.
This bloody history testifies to the tragic fate of a nation repeatedly sacrificed in the geopolitical games and authoritarian projects of regional powers. And yet, through all of these atrocities, the flame of liberty never died in Kurdistan — the same flame that America lit in 1776 has continued to burn in Kurdish hearts.
The Wall Street Journal letter also reminded the world of the Kurdish role in defeating ISIS. For many, this was the first time Kurds were not seen merely as “victims of history,” but as defenders of humanity.
The battle of Kobane stands as a symbol of this sacrifice: young Kurdish fighters, especially women of the YPJ, stood firm against the death machine of ISIS while the world hesitated. Thousands of Kurds gave their lives not only to protect their own people but also to defend Yazidis, Christians, Arabs, and Turkmens. Their sacrifice saved the Middle East from further collapse. Yet, after ISIS was defeated, the Kurdish question was once again pushed aside.
Today, in the aftermath of the October 7 war and the 12-day confrontation between Iran and Israel, the Middle East has entered a decisive new phase. The Islamic Republic of Iran, through its export of terrorism and support for proxy militias, has become a grave threat not only to regional stability but to global security. Meanwhile, Turkey’s expansionist policies and its uncompromising denial of Kurdish collective rights have made it one of the central actors of instability in the region.
In this context, the Kurdish question is no longer merely a geopolitical issue; it is fundamentally about justice and freedom. Why should the world continue to deny the right of self-determination to a nation of over 40 million people? Why should Kurdish identity remain confined to the margins of regional power struggles?
Far from destabilizing the region, a Kurdish state could become a source of peace, balance, and coexistence. The experiences of Kurdish self-administration in South Kurdistan (Erbil) and in Rojava (Northern Syria) have already demonstrated that Kurds are capable of building a model based on pluralism, the participation of women and minorities, and pragmatic governance.
A Kurdish state could become a strategic ally for the United States and the democratic world — a stable and democratic partner like Israel or Greece — one that provides balance against Iran and Turkey. This is not a theoretical claim; Kurds have already proven it in practice: protecting minorities from genocide, welcoming displaced Arabs into their communities, and establishing councils where women and minorities share real power.
Linking Kurdish independence to America’s 250th birthday is not mere symbolism. It is a call for the United States to return to its founding principles: that no nation should live under tyranny. If America seeks to honor its revolutionary legacy in 2026, what better way than to support the freedom of a people who have carried the torch of liberty through one of the darkest chapters of modern history?
The Kurds have long been called the “world’s largest stateless nation.” But this label has never extinguished their will for freedom. Every generation of Kurds — from Dersim to Halabja, from Mahabad and Urmia to Kobane — has kept the idea of liberty alive: through armed resistance, through the preservation of language and culture, and through survival in the face of genocide.
Today, the Kurdish voice is once again breaking through the global silence. The Wall Street Journal letter is a reminder that the Kurdish cause can no longer remain on the margins.
As the United States prepares to celebrate 250 years of independence in 2026, the Kurdish nation hopes the world will finally hear its voice. We are not asking for charity; we are demanding justice — the very right that has been denied to us for more than a century.
The flame of liberty still burns in Kurdistan. And perhaps this time, with the support of America and the democratic world, it will no longer be forced to burn in the shadows.
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