I was re-reading this, and it struck me as almost unspeakably bizarre that the history of violent conflict between Barzani and Talabani and their respective armed forces is completely omitted, as is any mention of the long history of Iraqi Kurdistan being used as a base for terrorist operations in Turkey. It’s not necessarily true that these patterns will re-emerge, but what purpose is served by simply omitting them from discussion?
It’s as if we’ve simply decided that the Kurds, including people like Barzani and Talabani, are the good guys, and taken any evidence to the contrary out of the record.
Kurdish leaders repeatedly said they would never forget U.S. help in setting up the quasi-independent Kurdistan they have had since 1991. But they also have not forgotten what happened in 1975, when the United States, along with Iran and Israel, withdrew support for an earlier secessionist revolt and stood by while Iraqi troops crushed the pesh merga, who were then commanded by Barzani's late father, Mustafa Barzani.
"We have every right to have fears about the future," Barzani said.
If Barzani can remember 1975 and have fears about the future, one has to wonder if he remembers 1996, when he invited Saddam’s troops into Kurdistan and sent his forces to fight alongside them in an effort to crush the pesh merga fighters belonging to the PUK. I don’t think the PUK has forgotten, and I don’t think Barzani is the only one with the right to “have fears about the future”. |
