[Sleeping Beauty]

It sounds like the Kurds have thrown down the gauntlet that will make them the new country of Kurdistan but the question will be, do we let them be annexed?

A good new option, tobyhill!

We support the new Kurdish nation. We even send our troops to help them get it together. They are sitting on most of the world's oil. We become their favorite customer.

Everyone lives happily ever after. Our children will thank us.

[Old Retired Army Guy]

There is an 800 Lb Gorilla in the room regarding “Kurdistan” becoming a seperate nation. That Gorilla’s name is Turkey.

[tobyhill]

After the Sunnis and Shiites kill themselves off enough the few remaining may even want to be our friends and we could all watch Barney together.

[SolidWood]

They are sitting on most of the world's oil.

That's not entirely correct. They have the sixth largest oil reserve. Lots of oil anyway.

Some weeks ago there were articles reporting that lots of oil has been discovered in the Sunni Anbar province. If this is true, each faction in Iraq would have their own oil reserves. Iraq could then be largely federalized.

[Arthalion]

We support the new Kurdish nation. We even send our troops to help them get it together. They are sitting on most of the world's oil. We become their favorite customer.

Can't happen. Kurdistan would be a landlocked nation, so how are you going to get the oil out? Through Turkey? The Turks have already stated that the creation of a Kurdish nation would be an act of war. Even if we parked troops there to defend Kurdistan, the Turks would never allow it to be transported across their border. Maybe west, through Syria? Oh no, that won't work. Syria is an anti-American Sunni dominated nation with close ties to the Sunni's in Baghdad. They'll never side with the Kurds. Iran? Iran may permit transshipment of oil through their pipeline, but the Iranian's are equipped to deal with Europe and Russia, so there are huge logistical problems with shipping oil to the US through there (and I suspect that the Iranians won't be any help in resolving those). Perhaps south, through what's left of Iraq? I shouldn't even have to explain why that won't work.

An independent Kurdistan may be able to exist as a separate nation with us defending it, but it won't be exporting much of anything.