I agree completely. But the "Arab Street" still uses it, and I doubt that our intention to separate it from the WOT would really fly with them.
Given your screen name I'm saddened that you are willing to write off the Kurds; I don't want that happening again.
God knows I don't either. I am just saying that partitioning may happen whether we want it or not. Right now the Kurdish portion is the most peaceful part of the entire country. Maybe we should supply and arm them, if we could do ti without prompting a Turk invasion.
(I am white, BTW, I chose the name once because I wanted to be anonymous)
In that case we are truly doomed:
"The West" cannot abandon its imperfect orphan state in the mid east, period.
Beyond that I have a hard time expressing it:
Israel is imperfect, Zionism was and is an earlier expression of fanaticism.
Genocide is wrong.
Abandoning your [admittedly imperfect] allies is wrong.
Allowing the other side to define the debate was wrong - and stupid.
It now seems to be a Republican talent.
Iraqi Kurds are highly skilled and highly admirable; 21st century parallel to the hill people of Vietnam, I do not look forward to another abandonment.
Is it possible to separate palestine / Israel / islamist rationalization?
At some level it had better be, because to date it has been their be-all & end-all excuse for bad faith, for lies and deceptions, and for milking the international community for sixty years. When they stop being rewarded for it, they just might look for another nose to push under the tent.
As to your screen name; I'm anonymous as well but 'norton' has meaning to me and I expect or hope 'Nguyen' had some meaning to you as well.