As a nation, Kurds are shortsighted. The elite and political parties who should have established long-term plans and strategies instead revert to circular methods of the past. We as Kurds do not have a strategic center to predict what the future holds. Hence, the Turkish saying "I wish I had the Kurds' post-failure logic" is fitting.
Since we do not think and work strategically, we are incapable of reading and evaluating the others' strategies effectively. We think they like us deal on a day-to-day basis. Sometimes we face huge consequences because of the way we deal with developments and have had to pay the price. Although, we have come a long way in some areas, it appears we will not change anytime soon.
The Kurdish nation in Iraq endured five massacres from 1963-1991: the ethnic cleansing of the Feyli Kurds, the massacre of Barzanis, Anfal, and Halabja. Yet, we still criticize ourselves for waging revolutions and we are not capable of studying the ideals on which the Iraqi state were founded. Still, we do not ask the simple question: Why were the Kurdish revolutions waged in the first place?
Now, Turkey is increasingly bringing armed forces to the Kurdistan Region expanding its control of territory day-by-day. Many people say the problem is the continued existence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Instead, we should ask ourselves why the PKK is originally here. In Rojava, why do we not ask if the PKK was the reason for Turkey’s invasion of Afrin? Even some shortsighted people attribute the invasion of Kirkuk and the displacement and killings of Kurds in Tuz Khurmatu to the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum. This signals that Kurds nationally do not have the ability to understand nor predict the decisions of their neighbors. So we tend to excuse to their invasive conduct and then eventually blame each other.
The Kurdistan Region was accepted as a de facto autonomous region because of the Gulf War, the No-Fly Zone, and the regionally destabilizing regime of Saddam Hussein. Despite it fighting a civil war in the 1990s. Despite that setback, the Kurdistan Region has provided a platform for regional balance and a place where Western nations can engage in the Middle East.
Fulfilling the political interests of Turkey and Iran and providing internal security for them made the two neighboring countries accept the Kurdistan Region despite Baghdad’s objections. Additionally because of the brief resumption of the peace process between the Turkish state and the PKK earlier this decade, peace was restored with Ankara and Kurds in Northern Kurdistan (Kurdish areas of Turkey) saw some progress. At the same time during the Arab Spring and the emergence of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria, Kurds managed to develop a de facto autonomous enclave in northern Syria. These endeavors forced the world to hear renewed calls toward Kurdish nationalism, to the extent that the world should consider annulling Sykes-Picot.
The Kurdish question got Britain's attention when it was the cartographer of the region following World War I. Turkey and Iran which included parts of Iraq and Syria — despite their internal issues, different desires, and fears over one another's regional hegemony — put all their differences aside only to set out a joint strategic plan to object to the growing Kurdish conundrum. We should understand that meetings and talks over the past two years between Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, top military commanders, intelligence agencies, and other interactions only serve those who want to invade Kurdish lands.
Turkey turned a blind eye to the invasion of Kirkuk by Iraqi and Iranian-backed forces with the understanding of the United Kingdom and United States. Europe, Iran and Syria did not do enough to intervene in Turkey's military incursion in Afrin. Turkey has increasingly conducted airstrikes against the PKK deeper within the Kurdistan Region before Baghdad's eyes. These are clear signs of collective coordination between states against Kurdistan. Their strategy is to never allow the Kurdish cause to become topical under any circumstances.
Given Turkey's current military incursion into the Kurdistan Region to reach Qandil, Baghdad’s silence is not normal given it being a violation against the territorial sovereignty of Iraq. This is similar to former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s threats to “eliminate terror” a day after the Kirkuk invasion began in October 2017. Abadi even said they had coordination with Turkey to eliminate terror anywhere, adding they would be destroyed in the future.
Kurds must understand that repeated Turkey-Iraq summit forums and meetings by their intelligence agencies over the past 6-7 months, along similar meetings between Iraq and Iran, are not centered only around hitting the PKK. The PKK is only the excuse. Truly, the plot is against the PKK and Kurdish movement in Kurdistan, and for weakening the Kurdistan Region. Mounting pressures from Baghdad and Turkey's incursion are to take oil revenues from the Region. In addition, Turkey and Iraq's joint efforts to establish more economic crossings beyond the authority of the Kurdistan Region will eliminate it as a constitutional entity.
Every Kurd should be worried about the future of their nation and be aware there is legitimate regional plot against them, so wherever this aggression is halted, it will benefit Kurds. Without caring about our ideological and political differences, we have to merge our positions, unite more, and stand against conspiracy. For the time being, our best option is to resort to European centers where the Kurdish diaspora can more freely organize widespread protests to awaken the world of these devious plots.
Translated by Zhelwan Z. Wali
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Arif Qurbany is an author and pundit.
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