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Without unraveling Kirkuk crisis, Iraq can not be stabilized |
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Without unraveling Kirkuk crisis, Iraq can
not be stabilized
16.7.2010
By Baqi Barzani, for ekurd.net |
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July
16, 2010
Short after the liberation of Iraq, the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) dispatched its agents
all over the country to conduct brief interviews
with Iraqi nationals residing in the United States.
The agency was deeply involved in seeking the views
of exile Iraqis about the war being waged,
especially those of political opponents, ex-military
service members and experts in Iraqi domestic and
foreign affairs.
Most of the interviewees expressed profound support
and gratitude to the US forces. Some offered
material and intellectual assistance. Some joined
the US intelligence agencies and some were recruited
as specialists and linguists in Iraq and
Afghanistan. A very trivial number, however, flayed
the US policies and objected to the war.
Almost all Iraqi earnestly forewarned US officials
to exercise extreme caution in respects to
venerating Iraqi religious sanctities, cultural
barriers, sectarian prejudice, ethnic divide,
protection of sensitive sites, civilian casualties
and treatment of enemy combatants and ordinary Iraqi
people.
Americans liberators were received with ardent
salutations and unique ovations at the inception.
Later, by simply neglecting those key advices, the
subject gradually capsized. Antipathy to US
presence, bloody internal sectarian feuds and
foreign influence all transpired soon afterward.
The US Department of Defense further exacerbated the
circumstances by defraying hundreds of millions of
US dollars to amateurish foreign contractors, with
very scant or zilch acquaintance to Iraqi culture,
history and society. Waste, abuse and mismanagement
of government’s funds can widely be still perceived
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Lack of requisite training to US troops and critical
knowledge on behalf of hired cultural advisors
culminated in committing some serious gaffes that
shoddily tainted US credibility as liberators….
With the drawdown moment nearing, most Iraqi
citizens voice great worries about the future of
historical Kurdish city of Kirkuk in conjunction
with other disputed territories. They foretell of
the worse nightmare if a supervised referendum is
not held to constitutionally determine the status of
Kirkuk city. They attempt to draw the US attention
to the dangers confronting their country.
The unsettled status of Kirkuk city poses the
greatest threat to the political stability and
national unity of the country. The issue of Kirkuk
is of the greatest essence and laid emphasis on
again and again. If Kirkuk has remained largely free
of violent ethnic conflict since the April 2003
ouster of Saddam Hussein’s regime, it should be
indebted to US constant presence, otherwise, Iraq
would long have been tangled in second civil war.
General Raymond T. Odierno, the current commanding
general of US forces in Iraq, proposed a third party
mediatory force to oversea the state of affairs in
Kirkuk and other disputed territories after the
pullout of US troops. The UN may be able to preserve
the status quo, however, ultimately,www.ekurd.neta
workable solution has to be sought to end the
longstanding crisis, an affair that can more
resourcefully be coped with by the United States,
due to its more understanding of Iraqi politics.
Having harvested vast amount of experience in Iraqi
affairs over the last 7 years, the United States can
better mediate between the leaders of Kirkuk’s
communities as well as representatives of the
federal government and the Kurdish federal region.
The US has more influencing power than any other
state or organization.
Without unraveling Kirkuk dilemma, Iraq can not be
stabilized. Given the high stakes, the U.S cannot
afford to stand by, allowing the situation to slip
into chaos by default.
Hopefully, the wishes, concerns, viewpoints and
predictions of Iraqis will matter this time in
trying to aid their American counterparts succeed.
Baqi Barzani is a
Kurdish citizen of Sought Kurdistan [Iraq]. He
advocates the notion of " establishing an
independent Kurdish state". He contributes to
various Kurdish media outlets, especially ekurd.net.
Copyright © 2010 ekurd.net. All rights reserved
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