ABSTRACT
The quest of national and indigenous peoples for self-governance has reshaped the political landscape in many countries and the international system as a whole during recent decades. Some states and many autonomous regions within states have been formed as a result of such movements. This chapter highlights recent developments with regard to armed self-determination wars. The political dynamics of self-determination movements in conflict with state authorities change over time in response to altered circumstances in the terms and expectations of their relationship. Self-determination conflicts do not move inevitably through all phases, and owing to their complex dynamics, there often is movement back and forth between phases. Iranian Kurds had pursued conventional politics for almost nine years before a mid-2005 series of violent demonstrations quickly moved from a set of isolated incidents to more frequent low-level clashes with the Iranian state.
