The Kurds: The Expendable people!

By: Eamad Mazouri

Nov 28, 2004

Notwithstanding the unparallel tragedies and untold calamities that have befallen Kurds throughout their modern history, they are deplorably optimistic about the events that concern them and their foreseeable future. As soon as they see a spark of light, they forget all their desolation and start believing and taking things at their face value.

This of course regardless of the fact that their entire history could be summed up as a chain of denial, deprivation , oppression, total devastation of their land, genocide and betrayal after another by the merciless regional and international players. The allegory amidst regional circles as well as international players now that Kurds are the expendable pawns in the harsh political game of Middle East,  that they could be used and abused repeatedly without learning their most valuable lesson of refraining from relying on their adversaries and start depending on the everlasting resources of their own people. Unfortunately, the myth has become more real as the Kurdish leadership is continuing on the same track while the Kurdish intellectuals and true patriots are standing by helplessly not doing anything about it.

For that matter Southern Kurdistan, is the best case scenario here. The whole world recognizes that the Kurds have played a major role in bringing down the dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein, and in combating terrorists and keeping the law and order not only in Southern Kurdistan but also in Iraq, yet there is no single unequivocal official signal from the concerned parties of reward for their sacrifices and heroic role that would recognize them as an oppressed nation aspiring to have a genuine voice in deciding his own destiny in a peaceful and democratic manner.

It is excruciating to admit that the coalition in Iraq is only carrying on the same policy as before when the safe haven was established in 1991, and the Kurdish issue was dealt with as a humanitarian one rather than a political issue as in fact it is. Not much has changed since. The true federalism the Kurds are seeking has not been recognized. Instead the so called Administrative Federalism is prevailing. The Iraqis, Coalition forces, and the international Community have utterly ignored the Kurdish Referendum that expressed the wishes of over 1.7 millions Kurds from around the world. Furthermore, the Security Council Resolution 1546 completely overlooked Iraqi Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) that is indeed the only actual guarantee the Kurds have gained so far next to their status quo.

The Iraqi elections that are due in January 30s, are basically meaningless for the Kurds, no wonder they are advocating their postponement. In reality, holding elections in Southern Kurdistan before the implementation of the article 58 of TAL that concern the reversal of Arabization policies of the Kurdish lands, specifically Kirkuk, would undermine all the Kurdish efforts, and it would be considered a huge setback for the Kurdish project of federalism. So far, all the indications are pointing towards the ascendancy of governorates decentralization over other options, especially the law regarding the election of the governorate councils where 41 people need to be elected as if setting up a whole regional parliament.

Nevertheless, for the Kurds what remains in the shadows is way more daunting than all of this. The Kurds are not keeping informed of the latest escalated episode of violence in Iraq, that targeted them specifically for being Kurds and for no other sin they have committed. The whole debacle of beheading Kurds should not have escaped our attention. Not only the Kurds were savagely victimized, but they were possibly set up. For years there were attempts to turn the Arab-Israeli conflict into an Islamic- Israeli/ Western one, the September 11^th terrorist attack on New York and Washington heralded the success of those attempts. Now, anybody can tell you terrorism can not be defeated militarily, simply because this kind of war can only be dealt with by intelligence gathering, information sharing, cooperation and coordinating efforts. That means a political settlement should not come as an eye popper shock to anyone including the Kurds, for the Israeli- Arab conflict before long, especially after Sharon has expressed his readiness to dismantle the Israeli settlement and totally withdraw from Gaza strip. Regrettably, this in itself would not be gratifying Arabs who are seeking much more than that.

A few days ago, the Egyptian Foreign Minister abu- Algait in Sharm al- Shekh summit made an interesting remark in which he called for " the necessity of combining the resolution of the Palestinian issue with that of the Iraqi. The implications of such a statement are dangerous and enormous to the Kurds who ought to entirely reject such a proposal. The Kurds must not accept in any way, shape or form for the settlement of the Iraqi question to be hooked up with that of the Palestinians. There is no connection whatsoever between the two issues. Under such a horrible scenario the satisfaction of Arabs would inevitably lead to the sell out of the destitute Kurds.

Therefore, every patriot Kurd and their friends are required to use all their resources to prevent such a shameful scheme from materializing. The international community should realize that the Kurdish people have already suffered too much. They have been victimized for too long, perhaps it is time to deal with their plight as a political question and stop exploiting their wretchedness and misery. The Kurds have already suffered enough; they cannot afford another national disaster.