Abstract: The authors reveal the interdependence of the Kurdish national liberation movement in the Middle East and the internal policies pursued by the Ottoman state, and later by Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran, aimed at state centralization and modernization of these states, which violates the traditional foundations of Kurdish society and threatens the tribal autonomy of these people. The authors also identify the role of leading world powers in the radicalization of the Kurdish issue and the strengthening of the Kurdish national liberation movement in the region.
The research methodology is based on a civilizational approach. The article examines the history, specifics and features of the development of the internal policy of the Ottoman Empire, later of Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran, the consequences of its implementation and the reasons that led to the formation of the Kurdish national-territorial issue and the increased radicalization of Kurdish society in the period from the 19th to the end of the 20th centuries.
The scientific novelty of the article consists of:
1. The analysis of domestic policies carried out on the territory of the Ottoman Empire, and subsequently in Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran during the period of the late XIX – XX centuries.
2) Identification of the influence of direct and indirect historical and foreign policy factors that influenced the Young Turk state’s policy of centralization and modernization, as well as the relationship of these factors with the emergence, formation and development of the Kurdish national liberation movement.
3) Study of the root causes and main stages of the politicization and radicalization of the Kurdish issue in the Middle East.
4) The findings of the study also reveal the role of leading foreign policy players represented by Russia, the USA, Great Britain, France and Germany in the Kurdish issue.