Should there be a Kurdish State?

[Spiffor]

Yes, if there is one Arab State.

While ME borders would deserve to be redrawn, to correct the disgrace created by the French-British ambitions in 1918, don't forget it can be pretty dangerous and useless to create a State based solely on the ethnical group. It gives many headaches, because of the population mixity : the biggest Kurdish city is Istanbul, there are plenty of Turks and Arabs in the badly defined "Kurdistan".

Rushing the creation of a Kurdish state won't only put major unstability in the region, it would also result in a ethnical policy from the Kurdish authorities. I'm not completely against the creation of a Kurdish State (the stupidity of these borders should be put to an end), but I'm very cautious on how to do it.

[Jac de Molay]

They should stay part of Iraq, but have a high degree of local autonomy.

Kind of like the Upper Peninsula.

[GePap]

No Kurdisdh state of our own making. If the Kurds are able to get one on thier own, well, good for them.

[Bereta_Eder]

wether they get it or dont it will also be of "our own making"


see, the turks were burning up whole kurdish villages with western weapons...


not as bad as iraq but pretty close

[August Borms]

Yes. The Kurds in Iraq have been liberated, now the liberation of the Kurds in Turkey can begin.

[GePap]

Oh, you guys are trully precious, really, if you think any westernm state will try to "liberate" a portion of an ally's territory.

Hmmm. whom to back...Kurds, Turks, Kurds, Turks.., well, since the Turks have more guns, more money, and there are more of them.....

[The Mad Viking]

I don't see the need to annex part of Turkey to provide a Kurdish state; and the reality of substantial Kurdish populations outside a new Kurdistan would be a good thing.

I would like to see Turkey and Iran volunteer a small part of heavily Kurdish territory, which will probably rid themselves of a headache and simultaneously improve relations with Kurdistan.

An Iranian fellow I work with tells me the Kurds are the largest ethnic group in the world without a "home state".

[August Borms]

Oh, you guys are trully precious, really, if you think any westernm state will try to "liberate" a portion of an ally's territory.

I'm not suggesting that the coalition will declare war on Turkey

But the oil revenues of northern Irak could be a great aid to the Kurds in Turkey...

[Bereta_Eder]

more than 20 million kurds exist, without a country

and in 2020 44% of turkey's population will be kurds

[GePap]

Except that those oil revenues will be in the hands of a Baghdad government and not the Kurds, and I can ahrdly imagine a Baghdad government using its money in Turkey.

[Ubergeek]

Frankly, I think Iraq will have enough problems over the next few years without the Turks rampaging over the northern quarter of the country because the Kurds were given a state. If such a state were declared, it couldn't be preserved and defended except by American troops -- and we have more than enough on our plates as it is. Basically, the Kurds are screwed, being as they are sandwiched between powerful neighbors and neither loved nor particularly respected by any of them. Tough break, but history ain't fair.

[Bereta_Eder]

respected?

[August Borms]

Originally posted by GePap
Except that those oil revenues will be in the hands of a Baghdad government and not the Kurds, and I can ahrdly imagine a Baghdad government using its money in Turkey.

Well, that depends on what kind of government Iraq will get, and how stable it will be... and I don't think it will be stable enough to keep Iraq together...

[Ned]

I think the Kurds are going to be very happy in the new Iraq. This will be a democratic government and should respect the rights of all.

If I am right on this, Kurds from Turkey and Iran will want to move to Iraq to live in a free state with their Kurdish brothers.

(What am I saying? Isn't Turkey a democracy?)

[Ubergeek]

Well, that depends on what kind of government Iraq will get, and how stable it will be... and I don't think it will be stable enough to keep Iraq together...

August, I agree with you on that one. I thinK iraq is heading for a major meltdown. But when that happens, the problem is that the Kurds will be in no way strong enough to ensure their own independence in the face of Turkish hostility to same. There is no way the Turks will ever allow an independent Kurdish state next to them, and they've got the power to prevent it if they really, really want to. And they really, really want to.