The Kurdish vote for independence on September 25th,
2017 is one of the most important events to take place in the Mideast since
Israel declared it’s independence 70 years ago. There are 35 million Kurds
living within the same border areas of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. While they
are a large minority in these 4 countries, their host countries have victimized
them for centuries. The British created artificial borders for most Mideast
countries in the early 1900s without regard to the tribal or cultural ties that
really binds the many diverse populations. The glue that binds the Mideast
isn’t an artificial border. It’s ethnic and religious tribal loyalties.
The Kurds of Iraq are at the center of this revolution for independence
and they have certainly displayed a level of responsibility and dependability
in developing the institutions required to create a sophisticated country. They
have Western schools, a capable police force, and a military that is dependable
and capable. Universities have sprouted up, and the Kurdish area of Iraq is
considered a “safe zone” where anyone can walk freely and without fear.
The Kurds, by the way, are deserving of a country – as
opposed to the Palestinians. The Kurds have their own language, their own
culture, and have been inhabiting the same area for millennium, while the
Palestinians are really immigrants (for the most part) from various Arab
countries who came to Jewish Palestine (yes, the Palestinian flag had a Jewish
star on it) to find work as Jews developed Israel over the past 70 years.
Palestinians have no unique culture, no unique language, and their history is
largely a myth perpetuated by the Arab/Muslim echo chamber – assisted by the
U.N – and a lot of oil money.
The U.N., of course, will not lift a finger to aid the
development of a Kurdish state. The Kurds, after all, do not have a voice at
the U.N. Even the Palestinians, who claim to be the flag bearers of righteous self-rule,
have openly opposed the Kurdish quest for their own country because they don’t
want to anger their fellow Muslim/Arabs in Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria.
Of course, their desire for self-rule is going to be opposed
by Iran, Iran, Turkey and Syria – and given the Mideast’s propensity for
violence, it can be expected that this will eventually become a war for
independence. I hope that the USA has the moral clarity to assist the Kurds in
their endeavor for their own country. After
all, Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria are all “in bed” together and have a
well-developed hatred for the USA. The USA, on the other hand, could use
another ally in the Mideast besides Israel - and Kurdistan would fit the role
nicely.
