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Iraqi Kurdistan region needs Canada
9.5.2007
By John Packer
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Everyone's afraid to get involved in the war-torn
nation but there is some success to build on,
particularly in Kurdistan, and Canada has the
know-how to help
May 9, 2007
Erbil, Kurdistan Region (Iraq), -- Bustling
but orderly, with rosebush-lined paths from the
terminal: Such is Erbil International Airport in
Iraqi Kurdistan. Outside this expanding new airport
is a vibrant city filled with repatriated Iraqi
Kurds, increasing numbers of foreign businesspeople,
humanitarian workers, diplomats and others.
I am here for a two-day conference hosted by the
minister for human rights of the Kurdistan Regional
Government, a position equivalent to a provincial
minister serving a population the size of British
Columbia. But this is not B.C. The minister has a
bodyguard, as do other participants. The United
Nations representative arrives with an entire
personal security detail.
The conference is well-attended, becoming almost an
impromptu town-hall meeting. Unrestrained criticisms
are voiced, many from the women present. The
minister and participating MPs listen and take
notes. This continues the next day. Finally, the
minister replies, acknowledging shortcomings. He
notes the deteriorating situation of women,
referring to an up-turn in domestic violence and the
new phenomenon of honour killings and suicides. He
also comments on problems of mistreatment of
prisoners.
Later, I reflect that never would anyone have
witnessed such a conference under Saddam Hussein.
Indeed, I am not sure how many Canadian cabinet
ministers would sit so patiently through such a
litany of complaints and accusations. Yes, hope
abounds in Kurdistan.
The place is booming.
Prospects are not lost on Norwegian, British,
Canadian and other oil and natural gas firms.
Underfoot lie enormous energy deposits for hungry
consumers in Turkey and Europe. The green fields and
hills are rich themselves, formerly producing grains
and fruits enough for Iraq and export as well. And
nestled in the mountains is the region's water
castle, comprising sweet lakes and fast-flowing
rivers capable of generating badly needed
electricity to run the new economy and power
development elsewhere.
Foreign investors from Turkey and the Gulf are
behind the emergence of new banks and industries.
The relative stability -- compared to the rest of
Iraq -- is attracting not only foreign workers but
even tourists. Western-educated expatriates who had
fled Saddam's regime are returning. Of course, such
rapid growth brings its own challenges. There are
not enough schools or apartments. Freedom and rapid
development bring competition, with winners and
losers. The suicide rate among youth is reportedly
up.
More troubling is the observation that here in
Kurdistan, people have not yet acquired the
instincts and habits of democratic society. Cultural
pluralism and political equality are strange and
difficult concepts. Minority communities feel
excluded and complain of serious human-rights
violations against them. Turkey to the north and
Arab majorities to the south express intentions to
protect their Turkish and Arab brothers.
This is ominous, yet the Kurdish leadership responds
mainly with bellicose rhetoric of its own. Oil,
identity and political reform can be an explosive
mix.
Everyone's afraid to get involved in the war-torn
nation but there is some success to build on,
particularly in Kurdistan, and Canada has the
know-how to help
This is where Canada can help. We have so much to
share with the Kurds, and with other Iraqis.
Canadians know something about federalism and the
management of diversity. Iraq is newly bilingual --
on paper -- at the federal level, and it's looking
to Canada for lessons on how to implement this in
practice. Canadians are also expert at developing
natural resources.
Most Iraqis, not least the Kurds, would welcome
closer relations with Canada. Canadians don't wear
the baggage of recent occupation, nor do we have a
colonial past. But Iraq is a dangerous,
unpredictable place. So what's in it for us?
Stability, for starters. If Iraq blows, the
ramifications will be far-ranging, immediate and
lasting. The price of oil will soar, and Europe's
sputtering economies will collapse, furthering
dependence on Russian supplies. Trade will decline
and jobs will be lost.
Canada has a strong security interest in the future
of Iraq. A collapsing Iraq is a boon to extremists
and terrorists the world over. Give them the run of
the roost in Iraq, and the whole region will suffer.
If terrorists could reach the North American
continent from impoverished Afghanistan, imagine
what could come of ingenious and oil-rich gangs
based in Iraq.
We should not be driven only by fear, however. There
is an economic interest, too. Iraq needs to be
rebuilt from scratch, and this rich country is not
looking for aid as much as investment and trade. And
of course there is always the humanitarian
imperative. Involvement in Iraq will bring material,
political and moral rewards.
Canada may not have the biggest military or the
flashiest political style, but we can still have
great significance in this ailing part of the world.
A stable Kurdistan, one that respects its
minorities, can become the engine for democratic
transition in Iraq and beyond. They have need;
Canadians have know-how. They are well-disposed; we
have the means to help. Iraq, unfortunately, is a
place that, at this moment, terrifies outside
observers, but Canada must not write the country
off. Let's get over there and help to fix it.
John Packer, a former fellow at Harvard
University's Carr Center for Human Rights, was from
1991 to 1997 a staff member of the United Nations
investigating human rights violations in Iraq. He
lives in Ottawa.
canada com
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