by Prof. Eyal Zisser
Kurds do not receive the same support and attention from the international media, nor the same affection that "enlightened circles" across the planet generously grant the Palestinians
Between 30 million and
40 million Kurds live in the Middle East, from Iran in the east to the
Syrian coast in the West. It is not a unified tribe; there are many
political differences, and cultural ones as well, that divide the
Kurdish communities in Iran, Turkey, Iraq and Syria. And yet, over the
past century a national identity has blossomed to unite them, in the
name of which they seek the right to self-determination and even the
right to live in their own nation state.
The 20th century,
however, was a failure for the Kurdish struggle, even when other
artificial states with no historical roots were created from nothing,
such as Syria or Iraq, which are now shattering to pieces.
It is fair to say the
Kurds played a part in their own failure to secure an independent state,
due to their lack of unity around the question of leadership. At the
same time, though, one cannot ignore the fact that the Kurds do not
receive the same support and attention from the international media, nor
the same affection that "enlightened circles" across the planet
generously grant the Palestinians. The world does not stand with the
Kurds, and that mainly applies to global powers that have used them to
advance their own interests but abandoned them in the moment of truth.
And we can assume that in the future as well, the Kurds will again be
left to their fate.
Here we have a large
ethnic minority which is undeniably unique in both its history and
culture, and yet is supported by no one in its struggle to receive its
own state. It is quite possible that the Kurdish dream of a state will
remain out of reach for the foreseeable future.
For many years, the
Kurds in Iraq fought the dictatorial Saddam Hussein regime, but they
were only able to carve autonomy for themselves after the Iraqi state
disintegrated. This autonomous framework exists in large part due to the
goodwill of Washington, which needs the Kurds because they provide the
only trustworthy foundation in the Iraqi sphere, certainly in regards to
the war against Islamic state. Ironically, Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan also supports the Kurds in Iraq, as part of his fight for
regional hegemony against Iran, which is supported by the Shiites in
Iraq.
The Kurds in Syria are
currently in the eye of the storm. For years, their relationship with
the Baathist regime was respectful yet suspicious, and when the
revolution erupted they chose a policy of sitting on the fence. After
all, from the beginning they never had faith in the Syrian rebels, who
just like the President Bashar Assad regime opposed their nationalistic
aspirations in Syria.
Aided by the chaos in
Syria, the Kurds have tried benefiting from all worlds. They are
cautiously venturing to form autonomous institutions, while their
militia is fighting to secure territorial continuity in the north, with
aim of establishing a true autonomy there similar to the one that exists
in Iraq. This endeavor, of course, was a call to arms for Turkey, which
is fearful of Kurdish sentiments in Syria spilling over the border, and
whose relationship with the Kurdish population at home is already at a
boiling point.
Thus the Kurds are
maintaining a dialogue with the Syrian regime and with the Russians, who
want to use them to hit the Syrian rebels -- Arabs supported by Turkey
and Arab states. Meanwhile, Washington has also come to their aid,
coldly calculating that the Kurds can be used to fight Islamic State. As
usual, however, when it comes to the Obama administration, American
policy is shortsighted, merely capitalizing on a tactical and perhaps
cynical opportunity that could end in the abandonment of the Kurds when
American interests call for appeasing Turkey; or as part of a deal with
Russia and the Assad regime to end the war in Syria.
It appears the regional
and global game is too big for the Kurds. When they are called to the
table once the fighting ends, they are liable to discover they were
invited to be part of the menu, not a fellow victor to feast on the
spoils of war. But this is the painful reality in our region, and the
Kurds are one of the more prominent examples of it.
Prof. Eyal Zisser
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=17085
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