Guests: Trudy Rubin, Brendan O’Leary

The turmoil in the Middle East is  multi-faceted, with shifting, and sometimes conflicting, alliances among all of the groups involved.  Governments, terror groups, rebels are all vying for territory, power, and autonomy.  The Kurds, an ethnic minority in parts of Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Iran, fit uniquely into the conflicts taking place across these regions.  Today, we’ll break down the different factions of the Kurdish people, examine their allegiances, their interests, and the prospect for an independent Kurdistan. We’ll be joined by TRUDY RUBIN of The Philadelphia Inquirer, who has just returned from the Kurdish region of Syria.  We’ll also talk with BRENDAN O’LEARY, professor of political science at The University of Pennsylvania who has advised the Kurds on their constitution and statehood.