The Kurds Between Two Stages of Rejection: The Algiers Agreement as a Case Study in Light of Camus’s "The Rebel"

Abstract

This study explores the Kurdish political and existential struggle through the lens of Albert Camus’s philosophy of "The Rebel," focusing on the Algiers Agreement (1975) as a pivotal historical moment. The research analyzes the Kurds within two stages of "rejection": the initial rejection of systematic oppression and the subsequent rejection of the political "Absurd" imposed by the Algiers betrayal. According to Camus, the rebel says "no" to affirm a limit and a value; similarly, the Kurdish rebellion was an affirmation of existence against annihilation. The Algiers Agreement represents the pinnacle of the Absurd, where international interests sacrificed a nation's dignity. The study concludes that while the agreement was a strategic collapse, it transformed Kurdish resistance from a mere physical revolt into a "metaphysical rebellion." In this context, the act of refusing to accept defeat became the foundational pillar of Kurdish identity, proving that the rebel’s "no" is an eternal necessity for survival in a world of political absurdity. The study relies on descriptive analytical methods to analyze historical developments related to the Algiers Agreement and uses critical philosophical methods to adapt Albert Camus' concepts to the political and social reality of Kurdistan at that time to explain the relationship between failure and the birth of new consciousness. This paper consists of three main topics: Camus's philosophy of rebellion and historical dimensions. The first topic focuses on the first rejection, the September Revolution as a dignity movement. The third topic of the research is devoted to (Kurdish from Nsko to the second rejection). Finally, the researchers have reached several conclusions and the results are presented.