by Ghassan Kadi
No one can claim to understand what goes on within the Kurdish mind except the Kurds themselves, perhaps not all the Kurds do either.
It is rather amazing that non-Kurds expect Kurds to have one voice, one aspiration, one political orientation, and as if all other nations are united in a manner that is manifested in a single voice. How interesting! Is there a single nation on earth that fits such bill?
Kurds are then often begrudgingly and unfairly referred to as a group of people who are not united. Didn’t George W. Bush win his first presidential election by a margin of a few hundred votes nationwide? Why is it then that the world expects unanimous Kurdish decision-making when the rules of democracy stipulate that 50.01% represents a democratic majority?
The world should leave Kurds alone and respect that they are entitled to have differences, and at the same time appreciate the fact that they have been struggling for statehood and self-determination for a long time.
What we ought to remember is that Kurds have been around for thousands of years, and long before the Levant adopted the Arabic language as its formal language and thus became a part of the Arab World.
All ancient indigenous Levantine cultures must have felt alienated when pan-Arabism was at its peak during the Nasser/Baath era and thereabout. After all, Assyrians, Aramaics, Chaldeans …. and Kurds are not Arabs. However, nationality and ethnicity are two different things, and the afore-mentioned ethnicities, as well as others from the region, are all Syrians.
What is exacerbating the Kurdish “problem” in particular is the huge number of Kurds if compared to other ethnicities, their presence in a few states (Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran), the lack of ideologies that embrace them and provide them with security, and last but not least, discrimination and persecution. It is little wonder therefore to find them seeking statehood and security.
Any recognition of Kurds is what Turkey fears, and as a result, instead of regarding the Kurds of Turkey as equal citizens to other ethnicities, Turkey regards them as Trojan horses. The way towards nationhood has to be inclusive, but Turkey’s way has historically been discriminatory, divisive and based on maintaining the status quo of Turkman superiority. On the other hand, the Syrian way has matured and ripened during the war, and it is a way that has been baptized by sacrificial blood, sweat and tears, and the Kurds have earned their place with the highest of distinction. The question as to whether the Kurds have realized which of the two nations will embrace them, Syria or Turkey, remains to be answered. All indications however are that they are going back to their Syrian roots.
We have to be honest and fair and say that Kurds have been marginalized, even in Syria. As a matter of fact, some Syrian Kurds do not even have identity cards. There are many stories about how this happened, but the most plausible one is that apparently some Kurds did not register themselves during the 1932 census. They were fearing that the census had a hidden agenda and that they will get targeted. As a result, they missed out on becoming Syrian citizens, and their children and their children suffered the consequences.
The Syrian government will have to find a way to fix this grave anomaly and give Kurds the due respect they deserve.
Erdogan wanted to displace Syrian Kurds and have them replaced by Syrian Sunnis loyal to him. His whole objective of creating the safety zone within the 80 km northern strip of Syria was about this. That safety zone would have also separated Syrian Kurds from Turkish Kurds and bolstered his dominance over his Kurdish compatriots. But this was not happen.
In a twist of fate, what Erdogan seems to be receiving at the end of this is quite the opposite.
There has been a lot of talk and innuendo about federation and the newly-announced Kurdish autonomy within Syria. Under normal conditions, autonomy within a state and federation spell danger. They are not at all far away from partition. In this instance however, there could be more than meets the eye at the first glance.
We must pause here for a minute and remember that Putin is intent on stamping out Islamist fundamentalism where it grows and festers. The downing of the Su-24 at the hands of Turkey added more to Putin’s resolve, and now he is more determined to put an end to the Erdogan dream; which is in reality nothing more than Jihadism with the obsession of revamping the old Ottoman Sultanate.
There are more ways than one in which Kurds can play a huge role in all of this, and if the cards are played correctly and intelligently, a Kurdish autonomous zone in Syria can herald the beginning of a whole new era and an end to the infamous Sykes-Picot accord on a frontier that was last on the agenda.
All territory south of the Taurus Mountains is in reality Syrian. The mountain chain is the geographical barrier that separated the two nations for centuries, and it wasn’t till after the fall of the Ottoman Empire that some regions south of the mountain were considered as part of Turkey. Turkey therefore did not only get away with snatching Cilicia and Iskenderun from Syria, but also the entire region south of the Taurus Mountains.
A couple of years ago or so, President Assad declared that the truce in the Golan has expired and that the door for resistance is now open. He added that at a time of her own choosing, Syria is going to launch the battle of liberation of occupied territories. Did he also include an intention to liberate Cilicia, Iskenderun and Northern Syria (ie south of the Taurus Mountains)? He possibly did.
A conventional war will be very hard to plan for and execute for Syria to reclaim its territory lost to Turkey. However, a Kurdish autonomous zone can, and hopefully with much less bloodshed and human suffering. But how?
Kurds are now on the rise, and the euphoria of winning their fight against Daesh has been echoed by the global accolade they are receiving from an array of parties; including the traditional rivals USA and Russia.
In his blatant anti-Kurdish demeanor, Erdogan is pouring oil on the fire, but only to his detriment.
When Kurds living in Turkey suffer more brutality and genocidal attacks perpetrated on them by the Turkish military eventually look over the fence and see their brothers and sisters in Syria living in peace, prosperity and dignity, they will want to seek similar privileges. The harsher Erdogan deals with them, the more they will want to break away from Turkey.
The southern part of Turkey, mainly south of the Taurus Mountains is home to an estimated 30 million Kurds and Alawites (including Alawi Kurds) and Syrian Arabs. Their prospects in that region look very grim indeed. If Erdogan wises up and genuinely returns to his “Zero Problems” policies, he may be able to resolve the problem peacefully. Sadly, this does not seem to be his intention. He is digging his heels in and bracing for more conflict.
Erdogan is paving the way towards a civil war in Turkey. As a result, Erdogan may lose his popularity and Turkey may end up with a moderate government and return to its rather passive post-Ottoman stance. However, given the global sympathy Kurds have, Turkey, with or without Erdogan, will find it very hard to take full advantage of its military superiority over the Kurds.
So whether a huge or limited civil war erupts in Turkey, or none whatsoever, if the Kurds see in the Syrian Kurdish autonomy experiment a model for them to follow or join, eventually, no one can stop them; not even Turkey.
There are many “ifs” and “buts” here, many “knowns” and more “unknowns”. We can only speculate. Having said that, if we put a certain series of” ifs” together, we may be able to see the proposed federation/autonomy from a very positive perspective.
If the proposed Kurdish Syrian area of autonomy is going to remain under the roof of Damascus, and if the trilateral cooperation on the battlefield between Russia, the Syrian Army and the Kurds has now evolved into a trilateral political and strategic alliance; one that has a long-term vision and understanding, and if the parties have employed their combined knowledge of the region, its people and governments in order to work out a master plan, we could then well and truly be looking at a scenario that is going to herald the start of a chain reaction that will slowly but surely eat away at Turkey’s regional hegemony on occupied land and suppression of its own citizens.
Not only Kurds are underprivileged in Turkey, as so are the Alawites (as mentioned above) and other minority groups. Syrians in the Adana region (which is geographically and historically part of Syria) are derogatively referred to by Turks as “Fallahin” (ie peasants). Such is the state of the Ottoman Empire that Erdogan wants to rebuild, more so ironically, one that many Arab Sunnis (who are not necessarily Jihadis) are praying for it to happen. The people of southern today’s Turkey therefore will feel easily inclined to rise against the rule of Ankara. After all, they have been under Turkish rule since 1516.
If indeed there is a trilateral Russian/Syrian/Kurdish plan to this effect, and I find it to be highly likely, then the coalition would have successfully managed to turn the table around Erdogan in a manner that gives him a taste of his own medicine, and in the most powerful and effective manner possible. After all, Erdogan’s plan to partition Syria and impose his own sphere of influence on it relied on foreign funds, foreign fighters and the risk of having them turn against him. It further relied on NATO support (which it never got), and last but least, it relied on Erdogan’s popularity. With his dwindling popularity and terror blasts hitting at the heart of Ankara, all that Erdogan has ever relied on has slipped through his fingers.
On the other hand, the force that the trilateral Russian/Syrian/Kurdish coalition is banking on is local, determined, highly trained and knows the territory like no other. It does not need to be lubricated by cash or mobilized with captagon. It does not require much logistic back up. Its soldiers can bunker up and live on water and stale bread; and there are millions of them already on the ground.
When we take into account all of the possibilities, we cannot turn a blind eye to the pro-Israeli Kurds (such as the Barazanis of Iraq). Israel has always supported those Kurds, but for different reasons of course. Israel’s interest in these Kurds has always been aimed at weakening Iraq and seeking Kurdish oil.
It will be very difficult to predict how the Syrian Kurdish entity will deal with the Barazani Kurds. If the former eventually proves to be successful and manages to regain Kurdish/Syrian regions presently held by Turkey, will it then be able to marginalize the pro-Israeli Iraqi Kurdish enclave of Barazani? No one knows. We will have to wait to see.
Hopefully, Turkey will not descend into a civil war. All wars are awful, and civil wars are the worst. It is hoped that Erdogan will either see the light or that Turkish people will wake up and vote him out. Either way, the Syrian Kurdish autonomy is going to create new dynamics and generate changes. But those changes do not at all necessarily have to be negative as many fear. The odds suggest otherwise, and no one in his/her right mind can expect any member of the trilateral Russian/Syrian/Kurdish coalition to dump the others at the eve of victory, at the time when they should be celebrating their combined victory. After all, what do the Kurds expect to gain if they go against the grain of the coalition and make their declaration of statehood before the Geneva talks? Such move, if in fact is an act of mutiny as some observers are reading, would be tantamount to nothing short of political suicide.
My reading does not see this. My reading see a potential for a huge Russian-sponsored deal that will bring dignity to the Kurds, resolve their problem, and restore Syrian sovereignty. I cannot be certain that is this the plan, but indications show it is highly likely.
This article sure seems to back your point of view
http://www.newsweek.com/putin-going-be-liberator-tsar-kurds-438453
Few more (backing) articles…
Erdogan’s Plan: Islamic Empire or Armageddon!
http://themillenniumreport.com/2016/02/erdogans-plan-islamic-empire-or-armageddon/
Syria, Egypt Reveal Erdogan’s Hidden “Neo-Ottoman Agenda”!
http://www.globalresearch.ca/syria-egypt-reveal-erdogans-hidden-neo-ottoman-agenda/5358781
If I were a Kurd today, I would be highly alert to all possibilities, and continuously ready to seize any moment that might arise charged with charisma.
I would think at every turn, “This can be our hour.”
And thinking this way, I would undoubtedly endeavor to speak to Russia, to see what possibilities might exist in Russian thinking.
Beyond these few certain fundamentals, everything else is hidden from us. We can be certain how the Kurds feel, but we can’t know what they think, or Russia either, for that matter.
I am with Ghassan Kadi in hoping for symmetry and justice, dignity and sovereignty, all where they are due. And in seeing the Russian interest in promoting such things. Thank goodness we have Russians involved in this situation. Thank goodness that Russia sees its ultimate security stemming from a world at peace.
Like everything in the region it did not begin yesterday but long ago. Just taking the dismemberment of the Ottoman hegemony one sees that the British opposed Kurdish autonomy for fear of breaking up Iraq and having oil in Kurdish Mosul led the British to trade territory with France to secure Mosul for Iraq. Had they let the Kurds control this they would have lost Basra to the Shias and the Sunnis would have been left with little but sand in between together with the Kingdom of Transjordan which initially held the Muslim Holy Places through Hussein as Sharif of Mecca and Medina until the House of Saud seized them.
The Kurds would need oil to be viable yet the low price of oil is currently making Barzani’s fiefdom uneconomic and Baghdad cannot pay.
So when the facies about Kurdistan flit across the screen it is worth thinking just what level of poverty will be coupled with a very high birth rate (Kurds outbreed Turks) and where the overspill of underemployed young men will end up – whether in perpetual war or simply relocating to Berlin
The conditions in the M. East as of now are more than dismal for any optimistic or constructive scenario including the much deserved autonomy or independence or the Kurdish people. Erdogan decided for the shake of his survival and power-grabbing to rekindle a civil war. He supported ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood, he bribed Barzani to keep away from Syrian Kurdistan and the PKK. he even attacked Russia trying to instigate a NATO-Russia warm war in the area and beyond. He is desperately trying to nullify Kurdish influences in western media and conflates ISIS’s terrorism with the civil war consequences in Turkey over his genocidal attacks against the Kurds in Turkey.
The “West” is under Erdogan’s thump and so the Kurdistan historical issue will remain unresolved. Never forget that the Arabs are against Kurdistan as well as the Turks. For them ethnicities don’t count just Sunni Islam.
“March 21, 2016 ANNA SOROKINA, LIUBOV KONSTANTINOVA, RBTH
Just two days after reports of the withdrawal of Russian troops, the Kurdish areas in northern Syria have declared the establishment of an autonomous federation. The surprise declaration has become one of the most discussed topics in Russian media.”
http://rbth.com/international/2016/03/21/kurds-declare-federation-of-north-syria-whats-next_577499
There was some strong objections that I think come through some misunderstandings from a person and here is an answer Ghassan gave to that person.
“…The origin of Kurds is not exactly known, not even to Kurds themselves. That said, all the major races who live with them, around them, and have the upper hand on them, want to disown them.
Turks, Arabs and Iranians will all tell you that Kurds do not belong here and have come over from across some other land. It is not a wonder therefore that the term “Kurds” is interpreted by some to mean a nomad. As a matter of fact, it is also used by some as an insult by those who believe they are of superior races. However, when a great Kurd like Saladin comes to existence, everyone wants to adopt him and begrudgingly try to deny that he is a Kurd.
At the end of the day, it does not really matter who was “here” first. If nations are to be built on equality and fairness, then all reasons for divisiveness should be stamped out. If after five years of war in Syria, and still counting, we have not learnt that we should make our darn hardest to eradicate all causes for divisiveness, then we wouldn’t have learnt much.
Furthermore, let us be honest and fair here, had it not been for the fighting spirit of Syrian Kurds, I would hate to think where would Erdogan’s dreams be now.
So in brief, to say that Kurds are nomads but they have the right to live in Syria sounds like an act of charity. This is demeaning. Kurdish rights should not be regarded in this manner.
In any event, the article is not about the historic and humane components only. It is about a call to move forward from military alliances alone towards strategic geopolitical alliances that can capitalize on the military victory on the ground . But if any particular race wishes to hang on to the uppity attitude and believe it is superior in some form and pledging charities on others, moving forward will never happen.
Last but not least, I am neither advocating Kurdish autonomy nor condoning it. I am simply pointing out that if Kurdish autonomy does eventuate, it can be seen as a historic opportunity that can be and should be employed for a bigger objective.”
The Origin Of Kurd Is Aryan Tribe They Came South Asia To Persia Then They Split To 3 One Group Move To EU They Create German Kingdom Other 2 Stay In IranThe Smallest Croup They Move To Mountain Then They Came Kurd Kingdom The Largest Group The Stay In The Valley They Turn To Persian Kingdom. Now You No That Iran German And Kurd They Are The Same Blood Same People
Sunday’s article https://eadaily.com/ru/news/2016/03/20/lidery-iranskogo-kurdistana-zagovorili-o-borbe-v-gorah-i-gorodah-irana , “Leaders of the ‘Iranian Kurdistan’ are talking about the fight ‘in the mountains and cities’ of Iran”, says that the leader in exile of Iranian Kurds (the banned Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran, KDPI) Mustafa Kidzhri has announced the transfer of Kurdish fight to the territory of Iran.
Due to the timing of this announcement, one cannot escape the impression that there is a foreign hand behind this with the purpose of creating trouble for Iran during the present wars in the region. The article talks about Israeli interest in playing “the Kurdish card”. Nothing new, the usual suspects, probably CIA too?
MOSCOW, March 21. / TASS /. First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council upper house Defense and Security Committee Franz Klintsevich has said he hopes Russia and the United States will take joint action to terminate armed provocations in Syria.
READ ALSO
Russia ready to use military force against violators of Syria ceasefire starting March 22
“Of course, we do expect joint actions with the US to stop armed provocations in Syria,” the lawmaker told reporters on Monday. He thus commented on the statement of Russia’s General Staff on its readiness to unilaterally use military force against Syrian truce violators if it receives no reply from the US to its proposals to monitor the ceasefire. According to head of the Main Operations Directorate of the Russian General Staff Sergey Rudskoy, Russia sent the corresponding proposals on February 25, and on March 5, it handed over to the American side a compromise version of the agreement on monitoring the compliance with the truce.
According to Klintsevich, Russia’s response to “the unpreparedness or unwillingness of the American side to thoroughly discuss the text of the document that contains the procedure of using military force against the armed groups systematically violating the ceasefire in Syria is perfectly adequate.” “So far, Russia has refrained from unilateral actions However, we can no longer watch the developments and do nothing -. The ceasefire itself has been put in jeopardy,” he said.
READ ALSO
Russian military to stay in Syria to protect Hmeimim, Tartus bases – Kremlin
Klintsevich noted that “the American side had enough time to coordinate all points of controversy with us,” all the more so as “Russia proposes nothing fundamentally new.” “Our proposals to ensure compliance with and monitoring the cessation of hostilities in Syria stem from the provisions of the joint Russian-US statement and the relevant UN Security Council resolution,” he said.
“Order must be restored, and there are certain forces for this. Why not use them?” head of the Russian State Duma lower house Defense Committee Vladimir Komoedov has told TASS. “We have not left [Syria] altogether, we still have strength to maintain combat stability and combat use, if necessary,” he said.
“So, I do not think this is a threatening statement, it is real. If you do not want peace, there will be a military response in this respect,” the parliamentarian added.
More:
http://tass.ru/en/politics/863987
——————————————-
link to video of hostilities map Syria
http://www.anna-news.info/node/55205
—————————————————
summary Syria 19 March
http://www.anna-news.info/node/55158
————————————————-
MOSCOW, March 21. / TASS /. Syrian Kurds do not seek creation of an autonomy for themselves, the representative of the Syrian Kurdistan in Moscow, Rodi Osman, told a news conference in Moscow.
READ ALSO
Russia’s UN envoy: Emergence of Kurdistan to lead to breakup of Turkey, Syria, Iraq
“We do not seek creation of an autonomy for the Kurds. We wish to have a regime that will guarantee everybody’s rights,” he said. “We do not seek creation of a state for any individual ethnic group.”
“Why have we arrived at this decision [to proclaim a federation – TASS] Defeats suffered by Syrian government troops and the advances of terrorist forces were the main factor Creation of a self-defense force was the most correct decision in that situation,?. “Osman said. “We created a special administrative regimen for the purpose of self-defense. We are now creating self-government, education and health service agencies of our own.”
“Emergence of a federation of Syrian Kurds was a popular wish. A number of regained areas of Syria have joined our autonomy. Our federation is determined to put an end to religious discrimination, including that of Christians,” Osman said. “The crisis will remain unresolved as long as this discrimination exists.”
Osman said that in the newly-proclaimed federation instruction was in three languages - Arabic, Kurdish and Assyrian.
“You can hear church bells ring here. Our regime relies on the genuine popular wish and a culture of conflictless coexistence,” he said.
More:
http://tass.ru/en/world/863942
——————————————————–
still concerns over HNC
GENEVA, March 21. / TASS /. Syria’s Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) maintains contacts with the Syrian government, hence its representatives can not side with the opposition at the peace talks in Geneva, Salim al-Muslat, a spokesman for the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), the main Syrian opposition group at the Geneva peace talks, said on Sunday.
READ ALSO
Syria’s High Negotiations Committee chief expected to join talks in Geneva – source
Diplomat: Kurds’ self-determination possible only in framework of new Syrian constitution
Creating Kurdish federal region in Syria to complicate Geneva talks – source
Syrian Kurds proclaim federative district in northern Syria – Kurdish representative
Syria’s armed opposition unit reportedly used heavy weapons – Russian Defense Ministry
“Those who are in talks with the regime, who share its views should represent the opposite side at the talks,” he said when asked why no representatives from the Kurdish Democratic Union Party had been included into the HNC.
He said three Kurdish representatives are members of the HNC negotiating team, adding that “all Syrian groups, including the Kurds, were invited to the Riyadh meeting.”
Haytham Manna, a co-chair of the opposition Syrian Democratic Council, was invited to take part in the Riyadh meeting but decided not to attend it just ahead of the meeting. He explained his decision by the fact that no representatives from the Kurdish Democratic Union Party had been invited.
Parliamentary elections due in April are illegitimate
Another HNC representative, Yahya Al-Kodmani, told journalists on Sunday that Syria’s opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) thinks that parliamentary elections in Syria due on April 13, are illegitimate and he insists on holding another round of intra-Syrian consultations before that day.
“We consider these elections illegitimate,” he said, adding that HNC insists that the second round of the intra-Syrian consultations be held immediately.
More:
http://tass.ru/en/world/863856
——————————————————
BEIRUT, March 20. / TASS /. The decision to end the war in Syria “should be based on respect for Syria’s sovereignty and the will of its people,” Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi told al-Suriya state television network on Sunday.
According to him, the document handed over by the Syrian government delegation to UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura in Geneva contains “all basic principles the political settlement should be based on.”
“We expect them (opposition members) to determine their clear stance on this document,” the minister said.
Explaining Damascus’ approach to the talks that have been going on in Geneva since March 14, al-Zoubi noted, “We will not allow the collapse of the intra-Syrian dialogue.” He warned the Riyadh opposition delegation against maneuvering and further attempts to disrupt the peace talks. “If this is the case, responsibility for this failure will fall on them,” he said.
According to the minister, “the seriousness of the opposition’s approach to the negotiations continues to be questionable because of its dependence on Saudi Arabia, which funds it.” Therefore, “a real part of the problem and a party in the war is the Saudi regime.”
“Damascus insists on ending the conflict and takes practical steps in this regard,” the minister said. “We continue to wage war on terrorists and, at the same time, expand the scope of local reconciliation.”.
More:
http://tass.ru/en/world/863748
———————————————
Wonderful Crosstalk with Mark Slevoda taking a different position from the other two commentators:
https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/336396-putin-military-strategy-syria/
Another move by israel-america to help their terrorist proxy army fools few. The usa, israel and daesh are now pretty much seen as one and the same now.
Iraqi Shiite militias say US troops ‘forces of occupation,’ demand withdrawal
https://www.rt.com/news/336434-iraq-shia-militia-us/
“The US military are “making a new suspicious attempt to restore their presence in the country under the pretext of fighting their own creation, Daesh [acronym for Islamic State, IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL],” the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia said on its TV channel, al-Ahd on Monday, as quoted by Reuters.
group added that “if the US administration doesn’t withdraw its forces immediately, we will deal with them as forces of occupation.”
Additional troops deployed by Washington on Sunday were also strongly objected to by Iraqi Hezbollah on Monday.
The Hezbollah movement in Iraq said the new deployment of US marines is a plot to help IS terrorists.
Stressing its resistance against Washington’s “occupation of the regional states,” Hezbollah said the US has sent its forces to Iraq to further assist IS, the Iranian Fars news agency reported, citing the al-Mayadeen news channel.
Despite Baghdad saying it doesn’t need foreign assistance in fighting jihadists, the Pentagon announced the new deployment on Sunday, saying it has sent a detachment of US Marines to Iraq to bolster the fight against IS.”
Another sub-par article from “Ghassan Kadi” removed. No attaking guest authors.Mod on duty he writes a rose-tinted eulogy in favor of the noble Kurd! Not even a rational-thinking Kurd who wants to unite all the Kurds would swallow thisremoved, because it’s not true and because such articles actually hold back the development of the Kurds instead of helping them.
First Kurds are divided into four Sunni tribes and one marginalized Shia Tribe. This division is very deep and entrenched, each tribe has its own dialect and some use Arabic script while others use Latin script for their writing systems. Kurds also adopt the official language of their home country as a second language, resulting in Kurds who communicate in any of the following: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, English, German, Dutch, etc, etc.
Second Kadi mentions that they lived there for thousands of years, as if to imply the Arabs are interlopers (which is not true), while such claims are unsubstantiated and anyway such Zionist logic and birth-right claims can only lead to dead end and genocide, so apart from adding historical color I don’t see the reason for its mention.
Third, Kurds are not united as a people, they are differing mountain tribes with a strong family connection and hostility toward to the other even if he is a Kurd. The Kurds of the Kurdish Sector in Iraq didn’t open their borders to the rest of the Kurds during the bloody years of 2003-08, Kurds living in Baghdad need a visa and a sponcer to go to Arbil, so much for Kurds unity. Today those same Kurds invade and occupy the oil-rich Kirkuk in the name of defending fellow Kurds, one has to admire the audacity of shamelessness.
Fourth, Kurds are the main smugglers between Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. Everything gets smuggled for the right price: drugs, guns, people, etc. Kurds were and still are the main people smugglers into Europe and such deserve part of the blame for that tragidy. They didn’t register in 1932 census because Kurds refuse to belong to any central-State and insist on straddling the borders to continue their smuggling business. After the fall of Kobani the Kurds used their people-smuggling channels to decamp en mass to Europe, the little kid who washed on the shore was called Al-Kurdi (The Kurd, generic last name for Kurds in Arab countries).
Lastly, Kurds like other the mountain people–Chechens, Albanians, Georgians, etc (which are usually the villain not the victim on this blog!!)–are natural born thugs with no respect to written laws and civilized norms and the first victim of their thuggery are fellow Kurds.
If this sounds harsh towards the Kurds it’s only because I am reacting to the rose-tinted article by Kadi, I personally and other members of my family know Kurds and have Kurdish friends. My statement, as any statement about a people, are generalizations and should be taken as such.
I also understand the philosophical principle that consciousness fellow from material conditions, i.e. you live in a mountains area on the border you turn out a smuggler, your children live in a modern urban area they turn out modern urbanite; in no-way should my above statement be taken to mean about the Kurds ethnicity regardless of their living conditions.
wowwwww, your ignorance with unnecessary spats about your so called family friends who are kurds….
What planet did you fall from…
removed. Inappropriate. Mod on Duty.
As a Kurd I feel for the Ossetians..
removed. Please try and write within the moderation policy. I have left what I can. Thanks. Mod on Duty.
Um. I can’t believe he trotted out “Some of my best friends are XYZ!”
@Purple Library Guy: I did and I had to listen to them cry how oppressed they are and then 10 minutes later discuss how they can cheat the system or boast how they made money by cheating the system/breaking the law, etc.
Unlike most people I don’t comment about subjects I have no knowledge about and I happen to know Kurds. I have to say that my statements apply mostly to Syrian & Iraqi Kurds, the Sunni Iraqi Kurds are some of the worst and they are currently ethnically cleansing Kirkuk and getting ready to declare independence after (finally) getting their hands on the oil-rich city. I am not personally familiar with Turkish-Kurds, maybe they have different mentality because they lived inside of Turkey for so long and don’t straddle borders like their southern breatherns.
Wouldn’t you put more weight in a comment about the Kurds written by someone who actually met some Kurds than someone who writes about the suffering of the noble Kurd (oh how they suffer! exclaims Kadi) from the safety of Lebanon far away from the Kurds and their on-going ethnic cleansing of Arabs & Turks in both Iraq and Syria?
My mother is kurdish I truly agree with you.
@Anonymous: I hate generalizing about people and I hope I didn’t “egg” my point. Kurdish women are extremely beautiful and as we see on the news courageous and willing to carry arms to defend their homeland from attack.
Like everyone else the Kurds have their good points and their bad points, I just think that today they are a destructive element in the crumbling states of the Middle East which only leads to further penetration by outside forces and more wars; unfortunately Kadi in his article above is generalizing about the Kurds, whitewashing them and closing his eyes to their actions (e.g. ethnic-cleansing in Kirkuk, people smuggling to Europe, etc).
look at the deal egone just made with the eu, he gets visa waived for his citizens that want to invade europe for money or jihad, and he is making things intolerable in turkey, he just trashed his economy with the russia spat where russia closed the border and really hurt the turkish economy which will become more visible each passing day, and millions of kurds will want out into europe for a future for their kids, and russia has just trained the kurds in city warfare, and armed them. Look for them to show up in cities of turkey showing their new expertise. the invasion of the eu is on, and greece has given up thermopoly and is invaded without a shot, amazing. took centuries, but here comes the invaders again.
Part 2: This comment has to do with the very astute comment left by someone else
“Kurds are the main smugglers between Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. Everything gets smuggled for the right price: drugs, guns, people, etc. Kurds were and still are the main people smugglers into Europe”
Particularly the PKK- the biggest players in the whole region
http://pennyforyourthoughts2.blogspot.ca/2016/01/three-cheers-for-pkk.html
all external links are embedded in the post above
The PKK reputedly controls up to 80 percent of Europe’s drug trade. [24]
Additional information regarding PKK drug trafficking
Contending with the PKK’s narcoterrorism
“In 2005, 80 percent of the European drug market reportedly came from the PKK-controlled Turkish narcotics sector. Interpol data reveal that the PKK also managed 80 percent of the European drug market in 1992 and, in 1994, between 60 and 70 percent”
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/contending-with-the-pkks-narco-terrorism
The PKK charges as much as seven thousand Euros per person to smuggle undocumented immigrants into Europe. (Think here about the Kurdi family & boy on a beach) One such operation in 2001 was believed to have smuggled 9,000 Kurds from Anatolia to Europe.[25]
The PKK often forces undocumented children to sell drugs in Europe, due to their reduced criminal responsibility.[26]
The PKK is known to smuggle a wide range of illicit goods, from cigarettes to human blood.[27]
The PKK aka YPG aka TAK live large in a number of books about terrorism
Encyclopedia of Terrorism for one
Trafficking in Persons
http://tjp.fatih.edu.tr/docs/articles/75.pdf
And then there is their collusion with NATO and Israel-
.Iraq’s combat zones sit-rep:
http://1001iraqithoughts.com/2016/03/21/the-battle-for-iraq-is-reaching-its-climax-breakdown-of-the-battlefields/
Penny,
As is always the case concerning the Kurdish groups, you are as spoy 0n in your analysis as is possible. You saved me the time of commenting further. Thank you and keep up your valuable work.
Powerful stuff from Thierry Meyssan
Facing Turkey, Europe chooses suicide
by Thierry Meyssan
http://www.voltairenet.org/article190869.html
And for dessert:
BRICS Under Attack: Soft Coup in Brazil, US Proxies Move Against ANC in South Africa
Eric Draitser of http://StopImperialism.org appears on CPR Sunday with broadcaster Don DeBar to discuss the Empire’s moves to undermine BRICS. Draitser provides detailed analysis of the individuals and groups behind the protest movement in Brazil, noting that powerful right wing, neoliberal forces are bankrolling the movement to remove the democratically elected left wing government of Dilma Rousseff and the Workers’ Party. He also discusses the nature of the protests in South Africa and the powerful players co-opting the movement in the interests of the Empire. Finally, the conversation touches on potential outcomes of this clear offensive by Wall Street and the US establishment, and potential counter-measures by BRICS nations. All this and more in this wide-ranging discussion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiuFj5Z7keQ&feature=youtu.be
How about this. Name yourself whatever you want. However, property relations must be socialized.
RR
Truth is that no vacuum can exist so after Russian withdrawal from Syria, Kurds stepped in with they independent state.
Another plain, full of Russian, goes down, consistent with Ash Carter prediction. That’s the third or fourth one.
Very little Syrian territory liberated after 6 months of bombing. That’s not good at all.
Now *there’s* a journalist deserving of our support!!
Why doesn’t Pepe join Eric?
And add the evergreen and totally trustworthy John Pilger to the mix, and you’ve got the alt dream-team: a heavyweight counterweight to the ‘authority’ of the NYT, Times etc.
Far more worthwhile – and much more likely to provide a credible alternative than the dubious ‘Newsbud’ – even the title is weak.
Call it something with ‘herald’ or ‘tribune’ in the title, so that it links with a classical third estate function – to keep people informed of what is being hidden.
Even better if they expand from politics to investigate the whole area of genetics, biotech, genetic engineering, big pharma and military/transnational involvement.
Once you understand the psychopathic approach to implementing Malthusian agendas, so much more becomes clear, .including geological events.
Even if Turkey does not have terriorty close to kurdish areas there are still problems regarding kurds. Because kurds are not politically united also they are culturally different. Kurdish dialects are different. for example sorani and kurmanci is like turkish and uzbek languages. Kurds in Iran and Iraq is different than kurds in Syrıa and Turkey. And also Apoist organisations are brutal movements which do not accept any other oppositions. They are viruses spreading everywhere in the end they do not allow any other movements or parties. Kurds in Kurdistan are more cultural and more civilized, their written language history is longer than kurmanci kurds. Even kurdistan would be independent still there would be kurds who live in Turkey. The best scenerio is united of Iraqi Kurdistan and Syrian Rojava. I dont think Apoist organisations would accept the dominance of Kurdistan (iraqi). So the writer is just having daydream. Russia should stop supporting Apoist organisations if they really want to have united kurdistan, kurdistan (iraqi) is the closest one. Russia should support them, try to united syrian rojava and iraqi kurdistan. this is the best for Turkey and Russia. The leaders wont stay in power at the end of the world. So in the end Turkey can be more closer to russia rather that usa and eu.