The Hiwa Party’s Legacy and Its Impact on Kurdish Nationalism in Iraqi Kurdistan

Abstract The Hiwa Party, literally The Hope Party, was a Kurdish right-wing and nationalist political organization established in 1939 by a group of high school students from Kirkuk. Rapidly emerging as a significant political force, the party dominated the Kurdish political landscape in Kurdistan until its dissolution in 1945. Hiwa was the first Kurdish party to inclusively recruit members from diverse social strata across Iraqi Kurdistan, encompassing businessmen, intellectuals, army officers, tribal chiefs, religious leaders, and political elites. Despite its brief existence, the Hiwa Party was instrumental in pioneering a set of innovative principles and policies. These included fostering an urban-tribal coalition, implementing dual tribal-urbanite leadership, initiating the modern Kurdish armed movement, and transforming tribal rebellions into nationalist movement. This article seeks to analyse the enduring impact of these principles, examining how they have constituted the legacy of the Hiwa Party and their impact on subsequent generations of the Kurdish nationalist movement.