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Shell shocked Kurdistan
26.9.2007
By Rebwar Fatah
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September
26, 2007
The recent shelling of border villages in Iraq’s
Kurdistan Region by Turkish and Iranian authorities
together with massing hundreds of thousands of
troops on the borders opened a new chapter in the
relationship between Kurds and their neighboring
countries. It resulted not only in displacing tens
of thousands of Kurdish civilians, but also dealt a
blow to efforts to establish peace and stability in
the region.
Pressure from neighboring countries on the Kurdish
authorities, together with suicide bombing by
Islamic radical and Arab nationalist groups in the
Kurdish-controlled region, have been continuous
since the establishment of a Kurdish political
entity in Iraq.
There is nothing new in the reasoning behind these
atrocities. It is the old cliché from the Cold War
era, which remains engrained in the mentality of
Middle Eastern politicians: the elimination of
terrorists. These terrorists exist - or so the
regional powers contend - because there is a power
vacuum in the areas controlled by Kurdistan Regional
Government (KRG). It goes without saying that the
terrorists are Kurds and the vacuum created for them
is by Kurds. It has nothing to do with the fact that
the tens of millions of Kurds within the borders of
Iran and Turkey are deprived of their basic rights,
such as to study in their mother tongue. But Turkish
and Iranian politicians and even intellectuals would
tell you that the Middle East is not Europe.
(Ironically, Turkey pursues its membership of the EU.)
To play innocent, it is useful to blame others. The
power vacuum is not only in the KRG; it is in the
mentality of the perpetrating politicians, and if
there is a vacuum in the KRG, it is mainly created
by shelling, massing troops and by suicide bombing
and victimizing innocent civilians.
This oppressive regional policy is responsible for
the creation of political vacuums, hence the
emergence of different militant groups. The
hypocrisy of these perpetrating regimes is evident
in that throughout the history of the region they
have supported Kurdish groups against each other. If
by power vacuum it is meant the existence of armed
Kurdish groups, the latter were more active during
the government of the late Saddam Hussein. Also, the
PKK arose in 1984 when there was no KRG. Quite the
contrary; with the maturity of the KRG, the military
attacks by Kurdish groups against Turkey and Iran
have almost ended. The KRG has served as a buffer
zone to protect Turkey from the spillover of Iraq’s
troubles.
The only group that attacks Iran today is PJAK and
this is a controversial group that media reports
have linked to Turkey, the US and even Iran itself.
This may all be a myth, but it is the case that
Turkey wishes to make the Kurdish issue into a
terrorist issue. In Turkey, there is no Kurdish
issue, only Kurdish terrorists and separatists. In
Turkey, political groups based on Kurdish ethnicity
are unlawful separatists. Separatism in Turkey is
either synonymous to “terrorism” and all are
complementary to “Kurds”, which is a crime that
carries maximum penalty in Turkey. Turkey, by
constitution, must be one nation (Turkish), one flag
(Turkish flag) - and one homeland (Turkey).
There is no room for Kurds, or indeed for any other
ethnic or religious group, despite the fact that a
third of the population of Turkey is Kurdish.
Ironically, Turkey gives itself the right to demand
rights for Turkmen in Kurdistan. This hypocrisy does
not help the Kurdish, Turkish and Turkmen
relationship. It is also evident that Turkey would
not allow for any peaceful and lawful Kurdish
political group to emerge. Otherwise very soon, with
the recognition of Kurds and Kurdistan in Turkey,
the PKK would have become history and Kurds would
have used a democratic political process to gain
their rights. By contrast, in most EU member states,
which Turkey aspires to join, there are at least
half a dozen organizations for Kurds.
Is it possible that Turkey has given up on its quest
to become European? Only this would explain its
partnership with Iran to undermine the Kurdish
issue. Turkey and Iran both have Islamists in power
now, albeit it is much younger in Turkey. To some
extent, their constitutions are similar. The Turkish
constitution denies every other ethnic group in the
country from every fundamental ethnic, religious or
human rights, except Turks. A child, who is born in
Turkey, by the power of the constitution, is
Turkish, despite its ethnic or religious background.
The Iranian constitution, on the other hand, despite
the diversity of Iranian society, obliges everyone
to be part of the Islamic Umma.
It is this mental vacuum, which fails to recognize
others, that creates a political vacuum. If the
regional powers assisted in the peace and security
of the KRG, it could have moved much faster towards
a civil society with the rule of law. Violation of
any rights - e.g. ethnic, human, religious, faith -
creates inequality and social disorder. If it
continues, the entire society can breakdown. Iraq is
a living example. Today’s Iraq is the result of
violations of people’s rights under the former
government. Whether Iraq can ever stand on her feet
again, it is questionable. Nonetheless the regional
powers must learn from that painful experience.
Oppression can hold a state together just for a
period of time, no more.
It is never too late to stop oppression and come to
terms with past misdeeds. The South African model is
a good example where the people changed the
apartheid regime in a soft revolution. It was not
long ago that Britain termed the IRA as a terrorist
group. Finally, during the last Conservative
government, Britain realized that the problem does
not only lie within the IRA, but it is also in
British policy vis-a-vis Northern Ireland. Britain
not only assisted Northern Ireland to establish its
legislative and executive powers but also assisted
Scotland, Wales and even London. Now they are all
devolved powers.
The IRA is not the only example. All across Europe,
oppressed ethnic groups were termed terrorists until
the Europeans came to their senses and assisted in
establishing political entities for these groups.
Let us look much closer to home. The PLO was a
terrorist organization and now it is a recognized
Palestinian political group. For years, consecutive
Iraqi governments termed the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan (PUK) and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)
as terrorist organizations, and yet they were the
very organizations that set up the KRG.
A friendly relationship with the KRG would assist in
establishing stability and peace in the region. The
KRG could help resolve the Kurdish issue in Iran and
Turkey. In today’s world, dialogue is the way
forward, not threats and domination.
Dr Rebwar Fatah is director of the UK-based
portal kurdishmedia.com
Soma, Issue no.29 Sept 13 - 26, 2007.
SOMA Digest is a subsidiary of KHAK Press & Media
Center: www.soma-digest.com
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