Tweet
Yeni Safak , Turkey
Dec 27 2011
Shi'ite Sunni Split; Turkish-Kurdish Partnership
by Ibrahim Karagul
[translated from Turkish]
If everybody is going to be autonomous will it be possible to speak of a country
called Iraq? What will this solution cost Turkey? Is there a new form of
solidarity taking shape between the Sunnis and the Kurds, between Turkey and the
Kurds? To be more precise, might the Turkish-Kurdish conflict be replaced by a
Turkish-Kurdish partnership?
The answers to these questions are important. Why, you ask?
The power crisis in Baghdad is paving the way to an unravelling more dangerous
than what took place among the Shi'ites, the Sunnis and the Kurds during the
occupation. During the occupation there was no physical partition. But hearts
and minds grew further apart than ever before.
The notion of being an Iraqi was replaced by notions of being Shi'ite, Kurd and
Sunni. The idea of being a state was replaced by the idea of being a group or a
sect. A united Iraq centred on Baghdad was replaced by every political body's
particular goals.
But throughout the occupation the country held together, albeit with military
glue. As soon as the United States pulled out a crisis erupted on day two. A
warrant was issued for the arrest of Sunni leader and Vice President Tariq
al-Hashimi citing charges of terrorism. Al-Maliki's administration created the
opportunity to purge the Sunni leader via allegations concerning his bodyguards.
Al-Hashimi seeking refuge in northern
Iraq among the Kurds said some remarkable things. He said that Nuri al-Maliki is
playing the single man role, that he is turning into Saddam, that what happened
to him would soon happen to the Kurds, and that Al-Maliki's regime wants to
eliminate everybody else.
These new practices being put into effect by Iraq's prime minister in parallel
to the changes in the regional state of affairs doubtless all point to new
enemies, new divisions and new partnership. Al-Hashimi's remarks, especially his
emphasis on autonomy, actually point to the same thing. Al-Maliki's team does
not welcome any power sharing beyond spreading power among the Shi'ite groups.
While this is pushing the Sunnis and the Kurds into new quests, Al-Hashimi's
words seem to be predicting the future.
Iraq's internal power struggle is very important given concerns of an
identity-based conflict. However, these developments also have other very
important aspects relating to Turkey and the rest of the region. While drawing
attention to these concerns last week we mentioned the construction of a new
line of solidarity [see GMP20111221006004 Turkey Seen as Target of Iran-Written
Scenario Being Acted out in Baghdad]:
A design or rather a line of solidarity focused on Syria is growing in strength.
Attacks on the Iran-Syria-Hizballah line of resistance are focused on Syria and
campaigns for attacking Iran are increasing. While all this is going on we can
see that this line is actually strengthening solidarity between them. Now Iraq
is being added to the Iran-Syria-Hizballah line. Iran is protecting Iraq, which
it feels will make a more powerful shield than Syria, in the event that Syria
should fall. There is now a line in the region that is even more powerful than
it used to be in the form of solidarity between Iran, Iraq, Syria and Hizballah.
Al-Maliki's recent rapprochement with Iran in the past two months, added to his
comments about Syria and his criticism of Turkey needs to be watched carefully,
as do military agreements. The Iran-centred resistance to the threatening winds
from the West appears to have grown in strength right now. This is a picture of
the force that has grown to counter any intervention in Syria.
This is probably the wisdom behind Al-Hashimi's bodyguards drawing attention to
Turkey in their "confessions" and in them claiming to have been trained in
Turkey. This is a huge propaganda war. Turkey's outspoken position on Syria and
Al-Hashimi's powerful relations all point to the fact that the real target of
the theatrics taking place in Baghdad is Turkey.
In 2011 we witnessed the following repercussions of the tension between Turkey
and Israel: Ankara took steps to isolate Israel from the rest of the region.
Meanwhile, Israel tried to build a wall around Turkey. It signed military
agreements and alliances with countries like France, Germany, Greece, Armenia,
Romania and Bulgaria. The fact that all these countries surround Turkey
indicates a strategy of "encirclement."
And now it seems like a similar situation wants to be created by the countries
in the region. The Iran-Iraq-Syria-Lebanon axis is shaping up like it is going
to sever all Turkey's links with the south. Baghdad is imposing commercial
obstacles to oppose Turkey, which staved off the Jordan-Iraq alternative by
closing the Syria gate.
What really grabs the attention is this: the way that Israel's encirclement
strategy and the bid to create a regional line of resistance are actually
mutually reinforcing. What an odd coincidence!
If this is how things are going to continue then the outcome will be this: The
ethnic-based unravelling in Iraq will cause separations all over the region.
Just as the Sunnis and the Kurds are going to grow close so the Turks and the
Kurds are going to go from "conflict" to "partnership." This could come as a
serious jolt to the region's power dynamics!
Dec 27 2011
Shi'ite Sunni Split; Turkish-Kurdish Partnership
by Ibrahim Karagul
[translated from Turkish]
If everybody is going to be autonomous will it be possible to speak of a country
called Iraq? What will this solution cost Turkey? Is there a new form of
solidarity taking shape between the Sunnis and the Kurds, between Turkey and the
Kurds? To be more precise, might the Turkish-Kurdish conflict be replaced by a
Turkish-Kurdish partnership?
The answers to these questions are important. Why, you ask?
The power crisis in Baghdad is paving the way to an unravelling more dangerous
than what took place among the Shi'ites, the Sunnis and the Kurds during the
occupation. During the occupation there was no physical partition. But hearts
and minds grew further apart than ever before.
The notion of being an Iraqi was replaced by notions of being Shi'ite, Kurd and
Sunni. The idea of being a state was replaced by the idea of being a group or a
sect. A united Iraq centred on Baghdad was replaced by every political body's
particular goals.
But throughout the occupation the country held together, albeit with military
glue. As soon as the United States pulled out a crisis erupted on day two. A
warrant was issued for the arrest of Sunni leader and Vice President Tariq
al-Hashimi citing charges of terrorism. Al-Maliki's administration created the
opportunity to purge the Sunni leader via allegations concerning his bodyguards.
Al-Hashimi seeking refuge in northern
Iraq among the Kurds said some remarkable things. He said that Nuri al-Maliki is
playing the single man role, that he is turning into Saddam, that what happened
to him would soon happen to the Kurds, and that Al-Maliki's regime wants to
eliminate everybody else.
These new practices being put into effect by Iraq's prime minister in parallel
to the changes in the regional state of affairs doubtless all point to new
enemies, new divisions and new partnership. Al-Hashimi's remarks, especially his
emphasis on autonomy, actually point to the same thing. Al-Maliki's team does
not welcome any power sharing beyond spreading power among the Shi'ite groups.
While this is pushing the Sunnis and the Kurds into new quests, Al-Hashimi's
words seem to be predicting the future.
Iraq's internal power struggle is very important given concerns of an
identity-based conflict. However, these developments also have other very
important aspects relating to Turkey and the rest of the region. While drawing
attention to these concerns last week we mentioned the construction of a new
line of solidarity [see GMP20111221006004 Turkey Seen as Target of Iran-Written
Scenario Being Acted out in Baghdad]:
A design or rather a line of solidarity focused on Syria is growing in strength.
Attacks on the Iran-Syria-Hizballah line of resistance are focused on Syria and
campaigns for attacking Iran are increasing. While all this is going on we can
see that this line is actually strengthening solidarity between them. Now Iraq
is being added to the Iran-Syria-Hizballah line. Iran is protecting Iraq, which
it feels will make a more powerful shield than Syria, in the event that Syria
should fall. There is now a line in the region that is even more powerful than
it used to be in the form of solidarity between Iran, Iraq, Syria and Hizballah.
Al-Maliki's recent rapprochement with Iran in the past two months, added to his
comments about Syria and his criticism of Turkey needs to be watched carefully,
as do military agreements. The Iran-centred resistance to the threatening winds
from the West appears to have grown in strength right now. This is a picture of
the force that has grown to counter any intervention in Syria.
This is probably the wisdom behind Al-Hashimi's bodyguards drawing attention to
Turkey in their "confessions" and in them claiming to have been trained in
Turkey. This is a huge propaganda war. Turkey's outspoken position on Syria and
Al-Hashimi's powerful relations all point to the fact that the real target of
the theatrics taking place in Baghdad is Turkey.
In 2011 we witnessed the following repercussions of the tension between Turkey
and Israel: Ankara took steps to isolate Israel from the rest of the region.
Meanwhile, Israel tried to build a wall around Turkey. It signed military
agreements and alliances with countries like France, Germany, Greece, Armenia,
Romania and Bulgaria. The fact that all these countries surround Turkey
indicates a strategy of "encirclement."
And now it seems like a similar situation wants to be created by the countries
in the region. The Iran-Iraq-Syria-Lebanon axis is shaping up like it is going
to sever all Turkey's links with the south. Baghdad is imposing commercial
obstacles to oppose Turkey, which staved off the Jordan-Iraq alternative by
closing the Syria gate.
What really grabs the attention is this: the way that Israel's encirclement
strategy and the bid to create a regional line of resistance are actually
mutually reinforcing. What an odd coincidence!
If this is how things are going to continue then the outcome will be this: The
ethnic-based unravelling in Iraq will cause separations all over the region.
Just as the Sunnis and the Kurds are going to grow close so the Turks and the
Kurds are going to go from "conflict" to "partnership." This could come as a
serious jolt to the region's power dynamics!