Kurds - Their Past and Future in Light of their Sovereignty
Rauf Naqishbendi
August 01, 2007
No one with any sense or sensibility about forms of government would consider the Iraqi system of government a democratic system. The Iraqi government is primarily dominated by Sunni Arab Moslems, Shiite Arabs, and Kurds, all at ill ease with each other. The Shiites and Sunnis both are biding their time, strengthening their position, so that when the right opportunity arrives, they can gain domination at any cost and transport the country back to the old dismal days of dictatorial ruling. Given this propensity of the Arab Iraqis, no one should blame the Kurds for their lack of confidence in any Iraqi government where they are overshadowed as a minority against an Arab majority.
Kurds have been subjected to the atrocities of Arabs and other Moslem nations since the inception of Islam. This occurred to the Kurds not by their design or desire, but to their misfortune as they were subjected to the barbaric and atrocious Moslem nations’ actions. (Having said that, the discredit goes to the Moslems’ cruelties rather than their faith, which contradicts this violent tendency.) Atrocities against the Kurds will continue for as long as the Kurds are subjugated to the will of the Arab majority in Iraq. To cite bloody crimes committed against the Kurds one doesn’t have to go back a thousand years - modern history tells the story of the suffering Kurds at the hands of Moslem nations. Two painstaking examples amongst countless brutal crimes, as well as the genocide against the innocent civilian Kurdish population committed by Saddam, will be brought to light and examined to show how these brutalities could have been averted, and how an end to the suffering of Kurds can be achieved.
First, consider the 1988 chemical bombing and gassing of my hometown, Halabja, by Saddam. That was the first time in human history mass chemical and biological weapons were used against a civilian population; more than 5000 innocent civilians perished within a few minutes. Tens of thousands were crippled or disabled and died horribly painful deaths, and now, almost two decades since the bombing, Halabja is the world’s capital of birth defects, its inhabitants haunted with fatal diseases unknown to the world’s scientific communities. Clearly, it wasn’t only Halabja but many other towns that were also gassed, but Halabja got its publicity by being the most populous of the places subjected to this type of attack.
Halabja was targeted by Saddam to display what devastation the fatal weapons at his disposal could wreak. If the Kurds had been a sovereign nation, Saddam would have tried other cities or towns within Iran itself. The bottom line is what happened in Halabja wouldn’t have happened if the Kurds had been a sovereign nation. Halabja’s tragedies have been well known to the world, but no official condemnation or measurable sanctions were made by the United Nations since the Kurds were not an independent country with a voice. Thus it was considered an internal Iraqi affair, and the world remained indifferent. As it happened instead of Halabja’s victims receiving aid, it was Saddam who benefited from billions of dollars in low interest loans from the US to finance his war with Iran, and continue his genocide against the Kurds. Halabja’s atrocity was put to sleep by the world power; the only time it was talked about was when sanctions or war were to be declared against Saddam’s regime.
Second, consider the Anfal atrocity, an extension of Saddam’s genocide against the Kurds, when he surrendered a vast region in Kurdistan and buried alive hundreds of thousands of Kurdish males, twelve years and older; many buried in front of their families and relatives. If Kurdistan were an independent country, the only way that could have happened would have been through intrusion or invasion. Then, at the time of invasion, there would have been foreign correspondents, diplomats, and ambassadors from foreign countries involved, and it would have been widely publicized. The United Nations and the world’s superpowers would have challenged such a violation of the international norm. As things stood, however, Saddam was able to commit these atrocities in a clandestine manner that didn’t get media attention.
These calamitous events and many more happened and their effects last far beyond each suffering generation. The subordination of the Kurds is key throughout; if the Kurds were a sovereign nation, these tragedies would have been averted. International communities and the great superpowers have been mute and deaf toward the Kurds’ suffering. Given how nations intercourse in matters of war and peace, one should not be surprised; sovereign nations are more willing to help each other. There are rules and norms that dictate engagements, and therefore often a sovereign country gets away with their wrongdoing by virtue of their sovereignty - since this wrongdoing is considered the internal matters of the country it forbids others’ interventions in such cases.
The Kurds may be comfortable with their achievements under American occupation, but they should realize that America will leave Iraq at some point, causing the shaky Iraqi democracy’s fall and the return of the old tyrannical reign. When that happens, the Kurds will be at a disadvantage, and all their accomplishments will be easily erased or reverted. To obviate any future tragedies, Kurdistan needs to be an independent country. Anything less than that not only warrants the reoccurrence of past tragedies, but also paves the way for worse horrors.
Kurds have been subjected to the atrocities of Arabs and other Moslem nations since the inception of Islam. This occurred to the Kurds not by their design or desire, but to their misfortune as they were subjected to the barbaric and atrocious Moslem nations’ actions. (Having said that, the discredit goes to the Moslems’ cruelties rather than their faith, which contradicts this violent tendency.) Atrocities against the Kurds will continue for as long as the Kurds are subjugated to the will of the Arab majority in Iraq. To cite bloody crimes committed against the Kurds one doesn’t have to go back a thousand years - modern history tells the story of the suffering Kurds at the hands of Moslem nations. Two painstaking examples amongst countless brutal crimes, as well as the genocide against the innocent civilian Kurdish population committed by Saddam, will be brought to light and examined to show how these brutalities could have been averted, and how an end to the suffering of Kurds can be achieved.
First, consider the 1988 chemical bombing and gassing of my hometown, Halabja, by Saddam. That was the first time in human history mass chemical and biological weapons were used against a civilian population; more than 5000 innocent civilians perished within a few minutes. Tens of thousands were crippled or disabled and died horribly painful deaths, and now, almost two decades since the bombing, Halabja is the world’s capital of birth defects, its inhabitants haunted with fatal diseases unknown to the world’s scientific communities. Clearly, it wasn’t only Halabja but many other towns that were also gassed, but Halabja got its publicity by being the most populous of the places subjected to this type of attack.
Halabja was targeted by Saddam to display what devastation the fatal weapons at his disposal could wreak. If the Kurds had been a sovereign nation, Saddam would have tried other cities or towns within Iran itself. The bottom line is what happened in Halabja wouldn’t have happened if the Kurds had been a sovereign nation. Halabja’s tragedies have been well known to the world, but no official condemnation or measurable sanctions were made by the United Nations since the Kurds were not an independent country with a voice. Thus it was considered an internal Iraqi affair, and the world remained indifferent. As it happened instead of Halabja’s victims receiving aid, it was Saddam who benefited from billions of dollars in low interest loans from the US to finance his war with Iran, and continue his genocide against the Kurds. Halabja’s atrocity was put to sleep by the world power; the only time it was talked about was when sanctions or war were to be declared against Saddam’s regime.
Second, consider the Anfal atrocity, an extension of Saddam’s genocide against the Kurds, when he surrendered a vast region in Kurdistan and buried alive hundreds of thousands of Kurdish males, twelve years and older; many buried in front of their families and relatives. If Kurdistan were an independent country, the only way that could have happened would have been through intrusion or invasion. Then, at the time of invasion, there would have been foreign correspondents, diplomats, and ambassadors from foreign countries involved, and it would have been widely publicized. The United Nations and the world’s superpowers would have challenged such a violation of the international norm. As things stood, however, Saddam was able to commit these atrocities in a clandestine manner that didn’t get media attention.
These calamitous events and many more happened and their effects last far beyond each suffering generation. The subordination of the Kurds is key throughout; if the Kurds were a sovereign nation, these tragedies would have been averted. International communities and the great superpowers have been mute and deaf toward the Kurds’ suffering. Given how nations intercourse in matters of war and peace, one should not be surprised; sovereign nations are more willing to help each other. There are rules and norms that dictate engagements, and therefore often a sovereign country gets away with their wrongdoing by virtue of their sovereignty - since this wrongdoing is considered the internal matters of the country it forbids others’ interventions in such cases.
The Kurds may be comfortable with their achievements under American occupation, but they should realize that America will leave Iraq at some point, causing the shaky Iraqi democracy’s fall and the return of the old tyrannical reign. When that happens, the Kurds will be at a disadvantage, and all their accomplishments will be easily erased or reverted. To obviate any future tragedies, Kurdistan needs to be an independent country. Anything less than that not only warrants the reoccurrence of past tragedies, but also paves the way for worse horrors.
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