Does anyone have any in-depth information about the Iranian Group M.E.K., also known as P.M.O.I., M.K.O., and National Council of Resistance of Iran? I would appreciate any information that could be forwarded. Thanks.
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Does anyone have any in-depth information about the Iranian Group M.E.K., also known as P.M.O.I., M.K.O., and National Council of Resistance of Iran? I would appreciate any information that could be forwarded. Thanks.
I believe the MEK rated some discussion in Kenneth Pollack's The Persian Puzzle.
Greetings.
Let me know what you would like to know about that group, as a lot of info (although there is wiiiide variance of treatment and balance in many instances) in English and Persian is around about MEK.
Consensus is of a paramilitary semi-cult -- formed and supported by Saddam Hussein -- centered around the personalities of the husband and wife who are the current leaders, living in a guarded villa outside Paris.
My Iranian American sources here in California advise that there are effectively TWO main MEK elements:
o the main batch, largely concentrated in Europe (esp. France) and adjacent counties
o the group of MEK members, cohorts and fans/auxiliaries around DC/MD/NOVA that is hustling the Congress and DOD
--- secondary/spin-off group is a batch of MEK partisans/apologists/romanticizers active here in Los Angeles and Orange County, but they encounter a much-less-receptive and critical atmosphere, esp. from those who were favorable to the late Shah.
Adam and Steve,
Although it is a 1981 book, the best reference I have on the Kurdish issue in Iraq and as it relates to Iran and Turkey is The Kurdish Question in Iraq by Edmund Ghareeb published by Syracuse University Press. That book is listed on Amazon at http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...668420-2585254.
I read the book as I prepped to go to Turkey and found it most useful when discussions of the PKK arose. I again used it in 1991 when Provide Comfort came up.
Other books on the Kurds that seem promising--I have not read these--are
a. A Modern History of the Kurds by Davi McDowall
b. A Thousand Sighs, A Thousand Revolts: Journeys in Kurdistan by Christiane Bird
These 2 and others are on Amazon as well.
Best
Tom
Air Force Library Publication, July 2000.
MEK
I have just finished Tom Clancy and Carl Stiner's Shadow Warriors, Inside the Special Forces. In Chapter XIV, "The Face of the Future" they describe the work of the Special Forces in saving the Kurds after Saddam's attacks in 1991. Saddam was an attempting another genocidal assualt on the Kurdish population who were in open rebellion against his brutal rule. After reading the chapter I have a better understanding of the bond of friendship between the US and the Kurds. I highly recomend reading the whole book which exceeded my expectations.
The book also gives insights into the Iranian way of fighting not only in Lebanon, but also Iran's actions during the "Tanker Wars" in the 1980's.
The book has a chapter on the capture of the Achille Lauro hijackers under Stiner's direction. The duplicity of Italian politicians who let the hijack leader, Abu Abass escape to sanctuary in Iraq, is a part of the drama.
Ghareeb's book isn't bad, but its getting pretty dated.
A Modern History of the Kurds by David McDowall is the best general history of the Kurds and Kurdish issues in print. It will provide you with a good basic understanding of the differences in the "Kurdish Question" in each country where they form a significant minority.
Michael Gunter has published a great deal - most of it useful - on the Kurds of Turkey in general and the PKK in particular. If you're looking at the PKK, you have to give him a read.
Agha, Sheikh and State by Martin van Bruinessen is the best study you will find of traditional Kurdish culture. Although it is focused on the Kurds of Iraq, much of it holds true for all Kurds (with the expected degrees of variance).
Most of the current publishing on the Kurdish issue is either travelogues with a bit of history padding out the tale, or reporting that is more partisan and biased (from any of a variety of perspectives) than not.
Reviewing archives of Jane's Intelligence Review will provide you with a lot on the PKK, but not much on the MEK. In searching specialty pubs for useful information on the Kurds, you tend to find a huge amount of relevant info on the Iraqi Kurds, a bit less on the Kurds of Turkey, and very little of substance on the Kurds of Iran.
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/3...erga3jw.th.jpg
Not the original request, but IISS (London) published in May 2005 an Adelphi Paper 'Turkey's Policy Towards Northern Iraq: Problems and Perspectives' by Bill Park (a British defence academic). It is fascinating on the Kurds. Available via their website www.iiss.org
Davidbfpo:)
Hi!Quote:
Originally Posted by Strickland
Please find attached short info concerning MKO and related website.
http://www.terrorismfiles.org/organi...anization.html
Respectfully,
George