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| Iraq |
| The Price of Selling Out the Kurds |
| 2017-11-10 |
| [RUDAW.NET] By Amb. Dennis Ross I often take part in what's known as "track II diplomacy" ‐ brainstorming discussions with former officials and academics that explore options for breaking major international impasses or ending conflicts. In one that just concluded, two of my longtime acquaintances from the Middle East greeted me with, "Well, once again America's word is no good. How could you abandon the Kurds?" My Middle Eastern colleagues were calling attention to what has recently taken place in northern Iraq. There, the Iraqi military, with the clear involvement of Iranians and the Shia militias, pushed Kurdish forces out of Kirkuk, |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #7 The message to U.S. client states and wannabes like the Kurds, if the U.S. tells you to not try to expand your territory into an ethic bomb i.e Kurkuk, and then you do anyway, then expect to get nothing for your disrespect of our guidance. I have supported the Kurds and their national project for 20 years, but Barzani's referendum to include independence for the associated territories was rightly opposed by the U.S. In the past, he would have been deposed and a better policy would have been espoused by his successor. In these kinder and gentler days, his failure to understand the limits of U.S. support will doom his countrymen to another hundred years of servitude to local strongmen. So sorry. Learn from your mistakes. No one in the U.S. feels bad for the Kurdish leadership. And I mean it, not a single person I have spoken with for the last month feels that the U.S. was responsible for the Kurdish leadership's mistake in calling for independence including Kurkuk. The U.S. did everything to make it not happen. They overstepped and lost. We all feel bad for the Kurdish people. Choose better leaders. |
| Posted by: rammer 2017-11-10 23:50 |
| #6 Still more than Obama ever did. |
| Posted by: Seeking cure for ignorance 2017-11-10 21:34 |
| #5 I left feeling that it is time for the administration either to scale back what it claims it will do or actually begin to marry actions to our words. This is Trump we're talking about here. Sell the sizzle. There is no steak. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2017-11-10 15:03 |
| #4 The Kurds are mostly Sunni Moslem, but also Yezidi, Christian, Jewish, and atheist. Most of the Jewish Kurds moved to Israel after 1948, but several hundred families chose to remain. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2017-11-10 12:04 |
| #3 Since Iran seems intent on arming itself with nuclear weapons, we could even supply the Kurds with nuclear weapons. The Kurds are Muslim. Giving them nuclear weapons will end up hurting us. If the Kurds were not Muslim, they would have a far better chance of succeeding. |
| Posted by: Seeking cure for ignorance 2017-11-10 05:42 |
| #2 There are far more Kurds in Iran and also in Turkey than there are in Iraq or Syria. If present demographic trends continue, more than half of the population of Turkey will be Kurdish speaking in 20 to 40 years. Since the government of Iran enjoys practicing and supporting terrorism, we would be justified in supporting independence for the Kurdish majority or plurality regions of Iran. We could support an independent Kurdistan that includes the Kurdish areas of both Iran and Iraq. There are disgruntled Kurds in Iran, and we could support these with advanced weaponry. Since Iran seems intent on arming itself with nuclear weapons, we could even supply the Kurds with nuclear weapons. It might even be that the threat of such things might change the Mullahs' behavior. |
| Posted by: Daniel 2017-11-10 02:57 |
| #1 But that's traditional! |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2017-11-10 02:30 |