AKP

Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi)

Turkey’s ruling party since 2002. Initially a moderate incarnation of the Virtue Party inspired by Muslim Brotherhood ideology, it is increasingly centered on the person of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

KCK

Kurdistan Communities Union (Koma Civakên Kurdistan)

An umbrella platform of Kurdish political and insurgent groups across the region, comprising for example the PKK (Turkey), Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) (Iran), PYD (Syria) and the Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party (PÇDK) (Iraq).

KDP

Kurdistan Democratic Party (Partiya Demokrat a Kurdistanê)

One of the two leading parties in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It operates out of Erbil and is centred on the Barzani family. It has close ties with Turkey and features its own KDP-Peshmerga forces.

KNC

Kurdish National Council (Encûmena Niştimanî ya Kurdî li Sûriyê)

An umbrella movement of 15 parties that support the Syrian revolution. The parties represent a segment of the Syrian Kurds, including youth and women’s movements as well as independents. Its largest constituent parties are PDK-S and Yekiti.

PDK-S

Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria (Partiya Demokrat a Kurdistanê li Sûriyê)

Kurdish Syrian political party founded in 1957 in northern Syria.

PKK

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê)

A Turkish-origin, Iraqi-based Kurdish political party with several armed wings that fights for greater Kurdish autonomy in Turkey, using both guerrilla and terrorist tactics. It is active in Iran, Syria, Iraq and Turkey. Turkey, the US and the EU consider the PKK a terrorist group (see also footnote 7).

PUK

Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (Yekîtiya Nîştimanî ya Kurdistanê)

The other of the two leading parties in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It operates out of Sulaymaniya and is centred on the Talabani family. It has close ties with Iran and features its own PUK-Peshmerga forces

PYD

Democratic Union Party (Partiya Yekîtiya Demokrat)

A Syrian Kurdish political party founded in 2003 that runs the Autonomous Administration of North Eastern Syria (AANES) from Ain Issa. The PYD is the political wing of the YPG. Their relationship is probably best understood as ancient Sparta, i.e. an ‘army’ (YPG) with a ‘state’ (PYD). In other words, the YPG dominates the PYD. The PYD has links with the PKK and the Syrian regime as well as the US.

SDC

Syrian Democratic Council (مجلس سوريا الديمقراطية)

A PYD-led political platform that brings 25 parties together. It was established in 2015.

SDF

Syrian Democratic Forces (قوات سوريا الديمقراطية)

A YPG-led armed force that is militarily and financially supported by the US with the aim of defeating IS in northeast Syria and suppressing any of its remnants. It is led by Mazloum Abdi.

YPG

People’s Protection Units. Kurdish (Yekîneyên Parastina Gel)

A Syrian Kurdish armed group of which the PYD is the political wing. The group forms the core of the SDF and features Kurdish fighters mostly from Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Iran. The YPG is linked with the PKK (see introduction).