Posted on 07/16/2009 9:12:05 AM PDT by jxb7076
At the end of WWI, the victorious allies were creating a massive plan to divide what was left of the once great Ottoman Empire. The allies met in 1919 at the Versailles Conference where then US President Woodrow Wilson unsuccessfully pushed for the establishment of an independent state for the Kurds who at the time were spread out among six countries with the majority in what is now northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey, with lesser numbers in northeastern Syria, northwestern Iran and the Caucuses. They were, as today - known as the world's largest nation of over 30 million people without a state of their own. Their historical struggle for self-determination, over the past decades, has been hampered by the consistent bitter rivalry between competing nationalist groups - some of which have been used as pawns by regional powers - including the United States. Since the failure of US President Woodrow Wilson’s attempt for a Kurdish state U.S. policy toward the Kurds has been inconsistent, far less supportive, often cynically opportunistic, and disastrous.
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I adore the Kurds but I am fairly offended that this essay makes no mention of the no fly zone established by the US and Britain in 1991 at the end of the first Iraq war.
That was a direct and vital policy to protect the Kurds and Shia minorities of Saddam’s Iraq.
The northern no fly zone was highly effective and provided a functional Kurdish state in northern Iraq.
The future of Iraq is in their hands. We gave them the freedom. Now it is up to them to fight to keep it. If they go down, that is their problem to fix or deal with.
You’re absolutely right - However, the no fly zones was originally mandated to protect humanatarian operations in Northern Iraq which was already considered Kurd territory. The no fly zone also consisted of two seperate zones mandated by the US, UK, and France. The second no fly zone was mandated to protect Shiite Muslims in the South.
Thanks for catching this valuable, unintentional ommission.
I think they would have a much better chance of succeeding if they ceased gorilla warfar inside the Turkey borders - and if Maliki cease efforts to destabalize ther efforts for statehood.
easier said than done my friend. as long as they have oil you can bet we’re be involve. sad, but true.
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