The Kurdish Manifesto

[LiviaOlivia]

from TNR's Iraq'd blog
Spencer Ackerman
10-06-04



THE KURDISH MANIFESTO: On Kurdishmedia.com, Kemal Mirawdeli has written a manifesto explaining Kurdish demands for independence in the wake of this weekend's mass demonstrations.* Reading Mirawdeli's manifesto makes it difficult to believe Iraq has any future as a unitary state.

Kurdish support for the U.S. invasion was not about the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Instead, it was to provide the Kurds "a greater and more total opportunity by liberating the rest of Kurdistan and getting rid completely from even the existence of the Iraqi colonial state." Rather than "'extending Kurdish democratic experience' to Baghdad and Arab areas rejoining Kurdistan to the murderous Arab culture and mentality," the war and subsequent weakening of the Iraqi state opened "the right historical moment to bolster our autonomous development and extend the electoral remit of Kurdistan Parliament to the liberated areas," by which Mirawdeli means Kurdish cities like Kirkuk that were still under Saddam's control. This is justified by a very solemn invocation of the Anfal genocide. But in truth, Mirawdeli writes, Saddam's genocide was fully commensurate with decades of Iraqi treatment of Kurdistan:

"Iraq is not a state that Kurds can identify with. Arabization of Kurdistan did not start with Saddam. It started as early as 1930s with the banning Kurdish language and education in Mosul and with Haweja project in Kirkuk in 1937. Iraq has from the very beginning a doubly colonial state: plundering Iraqi and Kurdistan oil on behalf of British imperialism and exercising internal Arab colonialism against Kurdistan through policies of underdevelopment, Arabization, imposition of the Arabic language, culture and religion, political oppression, cultural assimilation and then murder and genocide."
link: http://www.kurdmedia.com/reports.asp?id=2203

Mirawdeli does not rule out temporary cooperation from Kurdish leaders in the Baghdad political process as illegitimate activities, but it can be justified only with an eye toward ultimate independence: "The sole strategic uncompromising aim of KDP and PUK's Baghdad role should be to ensure as soon as possible and within a deadline not exceeding six months, the internationally-mediated and approved agreement of the coalition and Iraqi opposition about the inclusion of Kirkuk, Khanaqin, Sinjar and other liberated areas within Kurdistan region and defining the border of Kurdistan accordingly." There's a tremendous amount of vitriol directed against the KDP and PUK leadership for their "illegitimate political monopolization"; a tremendous amount of racism against Arabs, who after the overthrow of Saddam "returned to primitive barbaric stage justified by religious tribalism and underpinned by tribal social structure"; and a tremendous amount of disgust for any Kurd who would choose to remain in Iraq (such a person is "totally immoral and/or ignorant").

Very soon, a tipping point will arise for the Kurds. It's hard to see how bloodshed can be avoided, since Arab Iraqis are not about to let go of cities like Kirkuk, and any Baghdad government will need that city's oil revenue. No policymaker is talking about it, but as chaos engulfs the rest of Iraq, events are drifting toward the country's disintegration. We may soon find ourselves having to choose between our closest friends in the country, the Kurds, and the anger that will sweep the Arab world if the U.S. occupation midwives the breakup of what is still considered an Arab state.

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http://www.tnr.com/blog/iraq'd
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*mass demonstrations took place in Suleimani, South Kurdistan (KurdishMedia.com) 3 October 2004: Hundreds of thousands of Kurds marched Saturday in the cities of Arbil, Kerkuk, Suleimani, Dohuk and Khaneqin revindicating their right of self determination.

The demonstration was organized by the Referendum Movement, considered the widest civic organization in southern (Iraqi) Kurdistan.
This demonstration was planned after the collection of two million signatures from the 5 million habitants of the region including 250,000 from the Kurdish Diaspora.

<snip>

link: http://www.kurdishmedia.com/news.asp?id=5537

[acmavm]

1. I bet the Turk's are thrilled about this. I see more trouble coming.

Not taking a side, just remembering a warning about the Kurds and if they tried to establish a separate state.