Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Is this the right time for an independent Kurdistan?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Is this the right time for an independent Kurdistan?

    examiner.com
    March 27 2010


    Is this the right time for an independent Kurdistan?

    March 26, 5:26 PMLA Middle Eastern Policy Examiner
    Paul KujawskyPrevious

    My colleague, Eurasian Examiner Joe Ribakoff, has written a
    provocative piece titled, "Now is the time for a Kurdish state."
    Ribakoff argues that the stateless, persecuted Kurds are deserving of
    statehood; the countries among which Kurdistan is divided (Iraq,
    Turkey, Syria and Iran) would oppose Kurdish statehood; but the
    presence of U.S. troops in Iraq makes this a propitious moment for
    Iraq's Kurds, since American soldiers would tend to tamp down
    destabilizing conflict.

    One should read Ribakoff's entire column.

    It is certainly true that the U.S., as a general principle, has long
    supported the right of national self-determination. But it is also the
    case that, as a pragmatic matter, the American government actually
    tends to frown on the break-up of countries, as destabilizing.

    These two policy objectives come into conflict when a country is
    itself multinational, especially when one of the constituent peoples
    is mistreated or repressed. In such cases, U.S. policy is
    inconsistent. For example, America did not help the Bengals of East
    Pakistan in 1971 when they bloodily separated from West Pakistan to
    establish Bangladesh. On the other hand, America strongly supported
    the independence of Kosovo in 2008. Although Serbs regard Kosovo as
    their nation's historic center, Serb mistreatment of the ethnic
    Albanians who comprise 90% of Kosovo's population tilted America
    towards independence.

    Ribakoff argues that in Iraqi Kurdistan realpolitik should give way to
    Wilsonian self-determination. A few observations:

    Ribakoff is surely correct in supposing that Turkey would do what it
    can to prevent Kurdish sovereignty in Iraq. But Turkey's willingness
    to throw a fit is related to the reaction of the U.S. and others to
    its tantrums. For example, when, in response to Turkish pressure, the
    U.S. soft-pedals the Armenian Genocide, it rewards unreasonableness.
    It would be better for Turkey, and for the region, if Turkey got the
    message that such conduct is below the standard of liberal democracy
    to which it aspires, and is unacceptable.

    If the Kurds were to seek independence in Iraq, they should tell
    Turkey (and Syria and Iran): This new country does not necessarily
    threaten your territorial integrity. The new country of Kurdistan will
    become the focus of nationalist sentiment, and Kurds who want to live
    in a Kurdish country will move, rather than continue to agitate in
    Turkey. (Iraqi Kurdish leaders, if they have any sense, will adopt
    this line of thinking and do their best to propagate it among the
    Kurds of Turkey.)

    American policy is to support the territorial integrity of Iraq. After
    all the effort, still unfinished, of establishing a democracy in which
    Shia, Sunni and Kurds all feel at home, this policy is not going to
    change. (Interestingly, Senator Joe Biden was a prominent advocate of
    splitting up Iraq, but Vice President Biden has not broached the
    subject). In the absence of American support for Kurdish Independence,
    Kurdish autonomy within Iraq is their best bet in the short term.

    http://www.examiner.com/x-4814-LA-Middle-Ea stern-Policy-Examiner~y2010m3d26-Is-this-the-right -time-for-an-independent-Kurdistan

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Working...
X