Posted on 09/12/2017 10:05:27 PM PDT by Texas Fossil
Israel has been very active in training and equipping Kurds, particularly in Peshmerga.
In general, the Kurds are pretty decent people, so I would say “yes.”
I was just wondering how the “new” attitude of not nation building or spreading democracy will play into the Kurds fight for independence?
Trump’s Afghanistan policy speech:
Our alliance with the Kurds have yielded great success in a very short time. Israel and SA both have made statements supporting the Kurds and Kurdistan (specifically Iraq).
I believe this is the exception to the rule he stated. We have already said we are involved for a longer term than that statement projects.
Lets give this a chance.
I think that Israel, the USA and the KSA all would like a new Kurdistan or Rojava to include the length of the Iraqi/Syrian border, to block a Shia corridor of Iranian influence from reaching the Mediterranean.
Clearly, the Kurdsish coalition (SDF) have earned Raqqa through their costly effort, although it looks like the Ba’athists are getting to Deir ez Zour first. The Euphrates River is shaping up as a border, with Raqqa on the SDF East Bank, and Dier ez Zour on the Ba’athist West Bank.
Although among muslims, Kurds are predominently Sunni, they also constitute the majority of the older non-Christian religions in Iraq, like the Yezidis,and Zoroastrian derivatives. Also, the Alevi sect of islam is often counted as a seperate religion, even though it is closer to common Shia beliefs and practices that the the Alawite Sect of Western Syria. There was also a Kurdish Jewish community, but they largely emigrated along with rest of Iraq’s Jews during the 20th Cetury after the Farhud. Even among the Sunnis there is diversity, with Sufi orders being very popular. A minority of Kurdish Sunnis attend mosques with a Saudi/Wahabbi influence (some of them even joined ISIS).
Kurds strongly tend to identify as Kurds first - deeply rooted in distinct language, culture, history and tribal relationships. They tend to be more secular in outlook than most of their neighbors. They are arguably the largest ethno-linguistic group on Earth without their own country, and National aspirations run high among their population.
Those areas along the border, including Raqqa and Deir ez Zour though, are historically and predominantly Arab, so they will be a challenge to administer for anyone. For they are not just Arab, those tribes have been among the very heart of support for ISIS. The Euphrates river valley from Raqqa to Fallujah is the hard core of ISIS support and recruiting.
They will need to be effectively policed for the long term, and the Kurds are among the very most effective in the region at internal security - no Americans were lost in the Kurdish Region of Iraq over the years in whch we sustained thousands of casualties in the Sunni and Shia Arab areas. Not one.
Who else in the region could effectively administer and police this hotbed? The Israelis have the best intel, but lack the numbers, and would be kyptonite politically. The Turks and the Saudis can’t be trusted, as they were behind ISIS in the first place. The Egyptians would probably take the job for enough money, but they can hardly handle their jihadis at home, in the Sinai and in Libya. Same with Iraq, and largely Jordan (although Jordan is very attractive on several counts). The Iranians would root out ISIS, but then be as big or a bigger problem themselves. The Assad Regime is now so beholden to Iran, that it risks being subsumed like Lebanon was, under gradual de facto Iranian control. The Kurds are the most attractive option for US interests - imagine if we tried to administer the area ourselves.
The upside, for foes of Israel, is that they can blame future, uh, instability in the region to Israel’s recognition of Kurdish national aspirations. I suspect it will float up like an errant turd on NPR, any minute now.
NPR?
Who cares.
That’s the source of so much of the talking points/twaddle regurg’d by the everyday leftist rank-and-file nitwits.
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