“we CANNOT lost the good will of the Kurdish population while placating those who stood in our way. It’s high time for a realistic, smart response, real time, foreign policy”
I disagree and I also am not sure the first and second parts of that quote don’t contradict each other. What ‘the Kurds’ (if we must treat them as a monolithic block) did in the past (and, lets not kid ourselves, in the end Kurdish leaders have acted only in their own perceived national interests, as they always said themselves), this cannot give them carte blanche to support or ignore terrorists operating from their territory against a US ally and wuth extreme violence (PKK operations have killed tens of thousands over a couple of decades).
With regard to the second point, I think it’s arguable that retaining the good will of the Turks is more vital at this stage than that of the Kurds. A huge proportion of the logistical support for US troops in Iraq goes through Turkey. And the Kurdish goal of a self-governing state is not necesarily in line with US self-interest if we are taking a realpolitik approach.
I agree. The Kurds in Iraq can stay peacefully there. If they support the PKK, we (and the Iraqis) will be happy to support Turkish incursions to defeat them.