An Independent Kurdistan - Is It A "Good Thing"?

2015-01-27T13:02:02-05:00

From "Foreign Policy"

https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/01/21/the-worlds-next-country-kurdistan-kurds-iraq/

The World’s Next Country

ERBIL, Iraq — As you walk around the streets of this city of 500,000, you could be forgiven for thinking you’re in the capital of a small but up-and-coming Middle Eastern country. Police officers and soldiers sport the national flag on their uniforms — the same flag that flies proudly on public buildings, and, in a giant version, from a towering pole in the center of town. There’s a national anthem, which you might hear on the national evening TV news, broadcast solely in the local language. You’ll also notice imposing buildings for parliament and the prime minister, as well as the diplomatic missions of a number of foreign states, some of them offering visas.

Yet appearances deceive: This is not an independent state. You’re in Iraq — more precisely, the part of northern Iraq known officially as the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). You’ll be reminded of this fact when you open your wallet to pay for something: the local currency is still the Iraqi dinar (though the U.S. dollar circulates widely). Nor do any of the foreign governments that maintain consulates in Erbil recognize Kurdish statehood; nor, for that matter, does the government of the KRG itself. For the time being, Iraqi Kurdistan is still under Baghdad’s writ.

Emphasis on “for the time being.” In July of last year, KRG President Massoud Barzani asked his parliament to start preparing for a referendum on independence. It was a suitably dramatic response to the stunning disintegration of the Iraqi state under then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Earlier, in January 2014, Maliki’s government had cut off financial transfers to the Kurds as part of a fight over control of oil resources, enraging Erbil even as his repressive policies toward Iraq’s Sunni Arabs were fueling the dramatic rise of the Islamic State (IS). Last summer, after IS forces shocked the world by seizing control of Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, the jihadists pushed from there deep into Kurdish territory, at one point getting within 25 miles of Erbil.

[EDITORIAL COMMENT:- Will this be seen as a positive and natural development in the Kurds' centuries old struggle for independence and a "homeland" or as something which is "All Obama's Fault"?]

The World’s Next Country

The Kurds are on the verge of getting a homeland of their own. If they do, the Middle East will never be the same.

Response by MAJ Alvin B. made Dec 16 at 2015 9:29 AM

2015-12-16T09:29:56-05:00

The Kurdish people should have a nation of their own. The challenge is how do you create a viable nation-state for a people who claim parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran and a small piece of Armenia.
Iraq really is four countries with a significant area populated by Kurds, in a virtually independent self governing region. While this is the most likely area for the creation of the Kurdish Nation (Kurdistan) in situ, the question of viability remains open given the hostile stance of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, ISIS/ISIL and Syria.

Response by SPC Harold Bustamante made Jun 15 at 2016 9:51 PM

2016-06-15T21:51:19-04:00

Its good to see this topic being spoken up, I support all said..Have to talk more not his another time..