The Kurd Card

Washington Post ^ | 3/10/06 | Charles Krauthammer

[dervish]

Lost amid the news of all the bloodletting in Iraq is an important political development: The Kurds have switched sides. In the first parliament after the first set of elections, they allied themselves with the Shiite slate to produce the current Shiite-dominated government led by Ibrahim al-Jafari.

Now the Kurds have joined with the opposition Sunni and secular parties to oppose the Shiite bloc. The result is two large competing coalitions: (a) the Kurd-Sunni-secular bloc, which controls about 140 seats in the 275-seat parliament and would constitute the barest majority, and (b) the Shiite bloc, which itself is a coalition of seven not-always-friendly parties and controls 130 seats, slightly less than a majority.

If only it were that simple, Iraq would have a new, secular-oriented government. But to protect minorities and force the creation of large governing coalitions, the Iraqi constitution essentially requires a two-thirds majority to form a government.

If we had that requirement in the United States, we might still be trying to settle the 2000 election. In Iraq, the result for now is stalemate, which could lead to disaster if the whole system disintegrates because of the impasse. Or it could lead to a more effective, less sectarian government than Jafari's.

The key question is who is going to control the two critical ministries: interior and defense. In Iraq, as in much of the world, interior does not control the national parks. It controls the police. And under the current government it has been under Shiite control and infiltrated by extreme Shiite militias. Some of these militias launched vicious reprisal raids against Sunnis after the bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, jeopardizing the entire project of a national police force exercising legitimate authority throughout the country.

'snip'

[edsheppa]

Do a little research and you'll find that the Kurds were the Muslim fanatics who killed quite a few Armenians back in 1918

From here

Who was responsible for the Armenian Genocide?
The decision to carry out a genocide against the Armenian people was made by the political party in power in the Ottoman Empire. This was the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) (or Ittihad ve Terakki Jemiyeti), popularly known as the Young Turks. Three figures from the CUP controlled the government; Mehmet Talaat, Minister of the Interior in 1915 and Grand Vizier (Prime Minister) in 1917; Ismail Enver, Minister of War; Ahmed Jemal, Minister of the Marine and Military Governor of Syria. This Young Turk triumvirate relied on other members of the CUP appointed to high government posts and assigned to military commands to carry out the Armenian Genocide. In addition to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of the Interior, the Young Turks also relied on a newly-created secret outfit which they manned with convicts and irregular troops, called the Special Organization (Teshkilati Mahsusa). Its primary function was the carrying out of the mass slaughter of the deported Armenians. In charge of the Special Organization was Behaeddin Shakir, a medical doctor. Moreover, ideologists such as Zia Gokalp propagandized through the media on behalf of the CUP by promoting Pan-Turanism, the creation of a new empire stretching from Anatolia into Central Asia whose population would be exclusively Turkic. These concepts justified and popularized the secret CUP plans to liquidate the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire. The Young Turk conspirators, other leading figures of the wartime Ottoman government, members of the CUP Central Committee, and many provincial administrators responsible for atrocities against the Armenians were indicted for their crimes at the end of the war. The main culprits evaded justice by fleeing the country. Even so, they were tried in absentia and found guilty of capital crimes. The massacres, expulsions, and further mistreatment of the Armenians between 1920 and 1923 were carried by the Turkish Nationalists, who represented a new political movement opposed to the Young Turks, but who shared a common ideology of ethnic exclusivity.

[Lejes Rimul]

I'm not saying the Turks were anything less than fully culpable, only that the Kurdish sheiks were ready and willing to kill Armenian Christians when given the chance. Current political alliances, however, ensure the facts are covered up.

[dervish]

Not to hijack the topic but the Germans were behind the Young Turks. They tried out their deportation techniques in WW1. They were the man behind the curtain and controlled the policy and miltary.

[crionlion]

Do a little research and you'll find that the Kurds were the Muslim fanatics who killed quite a few Armenians back in 1918, as well as rebelled against Ataturk's secularism a few years later.

That is a fact. There are many witnesses to the fact that when the Christian Armenians were forced evacuate their homeland on foot to places such as Syria, the Kurds came down from the foothills, raped, murdered and robbed these poor people. Once again, these mudslimes were barbaric savages then and now. It is only because they need our help against the shiite's that they want to be our friends. I do not trust ANY muslim.

[xzins]

I'm pretty sure I have read that the Kurds practice a Sunni brand of Islam.

[dervish]

By religious practice Kurds are mainly Sunni Muslims. But they are not ethnic Arabs. They consider themselves Indo-Europeans.

[xzins]

Thanks. I thought they were Sunnis.

[Patrick_k]

" the Germans were behind the Young Turks"

That is quite true. The kurds joined in attacking the deported armenian who travelled under turkish "guard" throught heir territories, killing the men and raping the women then killing them. Many armenian women sought refuge with arab tribes, took roots and married. The arab tribes of early 20th century lived simply, and peacefully. Take into consideration that the moslem brotherhood, mother of all extremist moslem tendencies of today, of the egyptian Al-Banna started in the twenties.

http://www.armenian-genocide.org/index.htm

http://www.cdca.asso.fr/cdca/cdca-photographies_genocide.htm

http://www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?title=Armenian_Genocide

Nevertheless, we are in 2006, Armenians and kurds have payed very harshly the new world order of 1920 till now. It is time the new world order of the 21st century reviews the legacy of the Ottoman Empire.

[dervish]

I agree. Everyone should read Bernard Lewis on this subject.

[attiladhun2]

Besides the fact that they are a different ethnicity, sunnis don't even consider shi-ite to be real islam and based on some of the things Al Quada has said, they seem to really hate the shiite religion.....though thats probably just propaganda.
It is just propaganda. The CIA used to operate under what was known as "the concept", i.e., Shiites and Sunnis would never co-operate or work together in terrorist ops. That concept was as flawed as much of their other analyses. Although both of these groups hate one another, they hate Israel and the West even more. Remember Trotsky's adage--"No enemies to the left!" Well there is even an older one at work here--"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."