Potential Mesopotamian Republics

By: Kamal Artin

A member of KAES

May 1, 2005

Some of us as internet authors have the advantage of being able to adjust our writings with time in order to make the same point with a more appealing or convincing wordings. However, I am wondering if Salman Rushdi was an internet author, would he have bothered to reformulate his thoughts on satanic versus to make the same point without having the challenges he faced! Last year prior to the US election I wrote an article on Mesopotamia and its Republics (Kurdistanobserver.com, July 3, 2004). In a review I noted it needed much improvement like many other writings. Following is a modified version of my last year’s essay and a reflection on how ones thoughts on a particular issue might evolve or change with time.

Elections years are good years to remind politicians to work toward noble ideals. Due to suppression of basic human rights my identity as a previous citizen of Iran progressively became unimportant to me. Now as a privileged US citizen it will be unfortunate not to take advantage of free speech in this melting pot of free people. Under the pressure of its opponents, current American administration still seems to be ignorant in helping Kurdish people to fulfill their dreams, although Kurds, with their limited resources, have welcomed American the most in their adventure to eliminate tyrannies in the Middle East. I am deeply saddened that the Kurds in their homeland, divided by four artificial borders, have no national rights, despite having all criteria to be an independent country.

The “brave new world”, America, represents a significant component of the global civilization, a civilization that the West can no longer claim as its own only. Although left and right in this civilization have damaged humanity to a certain degree, they both have made great contributions to evolution of our minds. Usually one becomes a target of certain blames by the left or the right for being or not being involved in anything. Blaming others is the easiest way to deal with difficulties; I could blame the US military for not liberating Iraq first via welcoming Kurdistan with peaceful means. I could blame them for not pulling the troops back to welcoming Kurdish area for mutual protection, since many Shiites and Sunnis prefer for Americans to leave. I could blame the US for not leaving the fundamentalists in South Iraq to go through evolutionary stages and like many Iranians and Afghanis learn from their mistakes, so they reach renaissance, make spirituality become only a private matter, and say no to the mixture of religion and state once and forever. I could blame the US for giving the wrong message that it is fine that every countries regardless of history is “indivisible and under god” and forgetting the true meaning of freedom, justice, and equality.

However, if I ask a simple question of why the events such as the Iraq war happened in the Middle East and not in other part of the world, only the Middle Eastern societies come to my mind to blame! With this in mind, I still think the Middle East would gradually become a better place because of what the US has pushed for! Putting it frankly, which other country could bring the chance for true change if it was not for our “brave new world”, which has been described by some envious smaller Satans as the “Great Satan”. Since the United Nations has currently proven itself as inefficient, or too biased by the influence of dominant ethnic groups, many Kurds lost their faith in the UN and sided with the US during the peak of the conflict between the two. Now a true alliance with the free world, which by default is capitalistic and under the leadership of United States, is the hope of those Kurds, whose goals are freedom, independence, and membership in an unbiased United Nations.

Although “brave new world” and capitalism might have an ugly side, one of its reasonable ideals is to create an atmosphere for individuals to have opportunities to do their best in a free market economy! I am wondering why such an ideal that is legitimate for individuals should be illegitimate for societies. I am wondering why the perceived taboo of territorial integrity should not be broken, so that the suppressed groups of poly-ethnic countries could run their own affairs and flourish as equal and independent nations. I am wondering why US should not remain firm against all of those who violate basic human rights, and assure further changes in the Middle East-hopefully with peaceful means. To me the Kurds are entitled to have a free independent state in all of its divided parts. I am wondering the US does not clarify to the world that if not all parts at least the Iraqi part has suffered enough and it is time they fulfill their dream.

I am wondering if a united Kurdistan is a still premature demand to many, why shouldn’t the free world accept an interim alternative for Mesopotamia to have a loose federation of six republics to include: a Sunni Arab, a Shiite Arab, an Assyrian, a Turcoman, and two Kurdish republics of Soran and Badinan. Since Soranis and Badinani are not the rivals any more, together they seem to be able to function as one of the Republics of the federation. Such a federation might stimulate other people in Arab countries, Palestine, Israel, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. to strive for a greater Middle Eastern Federation that could unite with the rest of the world in the future and protract what the world civilization has achieved instead of letting it be destroyed by fanatics of all religions and nationalities.