ABSTRACT
The Bush administration sought to use Iran's ethnic minorities to destabilize the Iranian government. The Obama camp realized that eight years of Bush administration meddling had not produced anything and had strengthened support for Iran's hardliners. The Kurdish struggle has received lots of world attention over the years. The Western powers and Turkey intentionally drew maps that divided ethnic Kurds into four different countries. At the camp, a group of guerrillas welcomed us into a threadbare room with a thin carpet on the floor and a kerosene stove blasting heat. The majestic Qandil mountains straddle the border between Turkey, northern Iraq, and Iran. Komala describes itself as a democratic socialist party with aspirations to join the Socialist International. The Barack Obama administration dropped the support and put Finding the Party of Free Life (PJAK) on the Treasury Department list of terrorist organizations. The Israelis are also helping train PJAK for its armed forays into Iran.
