Kurds are the largest ethnic group in the world without a state. Spread across four Middle Eastern countries: Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Turkey, Kurds been fighting for independence and international recognition for decades. The conflicts in Iraq and Syria have given them new opportunities to achieve their goals - by fighting back against Islamic State forces, and setting up autonomous regions. The Kurds have been trying to establish an independent state since the end of World War I - but the countries where they live, particularly Iraq and Turkey, have often resorted to brutal measures to suppress the Kurds' ethnic identity. But times are changing in the Middle East.