Professor Gerard Chaliand, the well-known French author and geopolitical analyst, passed away on August 20 in a hospital in Paris. He is remembered by Kurdish academics and officials for playing a key role in bringing the Kurdish issue into the spotlight at a time when few others wrote about it.

Chaliand published several books on the Kurds. He edited the book A People Without a Country: The Kurds and Kurdistan, published in French in 1978, and wrote the book The Kurdish Tragedy in 1994, which was commissioned by the UN to report on the situation of the Kurds following the Gulf War.

In A People Without a Country, Chaliand wrote that the “Kurdish people have the unfortunate distinction of being probably the only community of over 15 million persons that has not achieved some form of national statehood, despite a struggle extending back over several decades.

“The Kurdish national question has constantly been on the agenda ever since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I and the ensuing colonial repartition of the Middle East. Since then the Kurdish people have been divided among four separate states, namely Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria,” he added in the book.

“Paradoxically, human beings as groups turn out to have fewer rights than individuals – unless they form a state.”

Furthermore, Chaliand critically observed that in the West, the left has usually supported or at least expressed some sympathy with struggles against both European colonialism and U.S. policies in Vietnam. “But as soon as the problem shifted to Biafra, Southern Sudan, Kurdistan, or Eritrea – in short, whenever the national question was raised within a Third World country – this section of public opinion has tended to remain silent and confused,” he concluded.

A faithful defender of the Kurdish cause

Chaliand had a long international career, teaching in Paris, France, at the Ecole Nationale d’Administration from 1980 to 1987 and at the Ecole de Guerre from 1990 to 1995. He also spent five years as a visiting professor in the United States at Harvard, UCLA, and UC Berkeley.

“Gerard was a realistic researcher because he was always in the field, living with the peshmerga in the mountains during the war against Saddam Hussein,” Fabrice Balanche, an associate professor and research director at the University of Lyon 2, told Kurdistan Chronicle.

“His knowledge was both theoretical and from his field experience, which is very rare today, as most analysts are only working with social media. In France, he promoted the Kurdish cause at a time when pro-Arab voices dominated the academic world, denying Kurdish rights.”

In addition, he served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Kurdistan Hewler (UKH) from 2012 to 2021.

“It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Professor Gerard Chaliand, a distinguished scholar, writer, and long-time friend of the Kurdish people,” the UKH said in a statement.

“We honor his legacy with deep respect and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing him.”

Senior Kurdish officials also acknowledged Chaliand’s contributions to the Kurdish cause.

Falah Mustafa Bakir, Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of Kurdistan Region of Iraq, in a statement underlined that Chaliand “brought international attention to the Kurdish cause and our struggle for recognition.”

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Department of Foreign Relations Head Safeen Dizayee posted on X that the death of Chaliand was a great loss, and that he was a “genuine friend of the Kurdish people,”

“He was one of the first in France to champion the Kurdish cause, to which he remained loyal throughout his life. We honor his memory,” KRG Representation in the Republic of France said in a post on X.

Ali Dolamari, the KRG’s representative in Paris, told Kurdistan Chronicle that “Gerard Chaliand played a decisive role in the Kurdish question, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. He gave lectures and seminars on the Kurdish cause all over the world. He also published several books on the Kurds.”

A universal spirit

The French newspaper Le Monde also reported that in the early 1980s, together with Pierre Vidal-Naquet and Maxime Rodinson, among others, he contributed to the founding of the Kurdish Institute of Paris.

“Under the leadership of its director, Kendal Nezan, the Kurdish Institute of Paris continues to play a key role as a living museum of Kurdish culture and a point of contact for diplomats and politicians from the region.”

The Kurdish Institute of Paris in a statement also underlined that Chaliand had been a faithful defender of the Kurdish cause since the 1960s.

“He was co-founder and secretary-general of the France-Kurdistan association from 1973 to 1983, and later a member of the Kurdish Institute. Author of several important works, including an Anthology of Kurdish Popular Poetry, he spent a lot of time in Kurdistan, where he was much loved and appreciated,” the institute said.

“A universal spirit, ever curious and clear-sighted, a polyglot and great traveler, he recounted his singular and adventurous life in his Memoirs. We honor his memory with respect and gratitude.”

Nazand Begikhani, poet and Vincent Wright Chair Visiting Professor at Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences Po, told Kurdistan Chronicle that Chaliand was a personal friend and a great friend of the Kurds.

“In addition to his contribution as a geopolitical expert, academic, and poet, he was an activist advocating for Kurdish rights and culture. He actively contributed to all our cultural and political activities in France and he was also present on French media channels speaking in favor of the Kurds and Kurdistan.

“On a personal level, he stood beside me as the Editor at the Harmattan Publishing House in Paris, proofreading the manuscripts and, on several occasions, writing introductions, including to the anthology of Kurdish women’s poetry and the tales of Dersim. I have many fond memories of him and am deeply saddened by his loss.” 

Wladimir van Wilgenburg is a seasoned reporter and analyst who specializes in Kurdish affairs, and holds a Master’s degree in Kurdish studies from Exeter University, UK