In my Middle East politics class we discuss the Kurds pretty often. What I don't understand is why the Kurds are spread out across the Middle East and why they are targeted by both radicals and the government?
I'm interested in this topic as well. Can I piggyback off the OP? Here is my question for further clarification, if anyone knows.
What was the relationship between the Kurds and the Ottoman Empire? Is the current relationship with Turkey (tense/bad/hostile) a reflection of the Ottoman relationship or is it different?
You may be interested in my longer answer from two years ago:
I'm not sure /r/askHistorians is the appropriate sub for this, as it is largely a political question and not necessarily a completely historical question.