Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: JDN who wrote (468316)	10/1/2003 10:17:45 AM
From: zonder	Respond to of 769670

Why would they not be content to have their own state where they could exercise significant political power, yet be part of a Nation to provide the benefits a larger entity could provide I dare say the history of the United States of America is slightly different than that of present day Iraq. I can think of several reasons why Kurds would want a country of their own, and probably there are others: (1) They don't get along well with the other two ethnic groups (2) They will have Kirkuk and Mosoul, which means theirs can be a RICH country, which won't have to support other, poorer regions of Iraq (3) They never had a state but they always wanted one. Hopefully the 3 major ethnic groups will not let Religion get in the way of common sense Ethnic background, rather than religion, is the more important devision here, I think. They are all Muslims, at the end of the day. Yes, there is disagreement on some issues between Shia and Sunni Muslims, but the problems between the Kurds and the rest are not religion-based. Course, I realize I am speaking as an American well used to the hodgepodge of religions, ethnic groups etc etc within our boundaries My understanding is that the American "melting pot" succeeded so well because even the first settlers came from all around the world, and they all started fresh, on LOTS AND LOTS OF land. Try to imagine what it would be like if, at the beginning, there was already a history of hostility, respective massacres, etc between three major groups of settlers. Perhaps they would not be so happy to form a "United States". The most applicable example to Iraq, I feel, is post-Tito Yugoslavia. It seems all that was keeping the ethnic groups from each other's throats was Tito's dictatorship. "Why don't they live happily together ever after?" is easy to ask from a distance, but sometimes ethnic groups have long-standing issues that cannot be easily resolved. These could easily lead to the respective groups desiring a country of their own.