A long road from Kosovo to Kurdistan
I do believe this article by Pepe Escobar deserves a spot on Ijtema, because the independence of Kosovo has nothing to do with “democracy” as we are told, and dark clouds face ahead.
An array of European analysts, not to mention Russians, has compared the current, dangerous state of play in the Balkans to Sarajevo in 1914 that led to the outbreak of World War II.
And the recent Turkish invasion in Northern Iraq is linked to Kosovo:
Kurds, especially those in Iraq, might be tempted to believe Kosovo is a meaty precedent pointing to the emergence of an independent Iraqi Kurdistan - their dream, and Turkey’s nightmare. Just as in Kosovo, oil is in play (Kirkuk and its pipelines); and Iraqi Kurdistan, since 1991, had been a sort of extended Camp Bondsteel anyway, an American-protected enclave in Saddam’s Iraq and then a haven of stable “democracy” in Bush-devastated Iraq.
And the message is clear:
Turkey’s invasion of Iraqi Kurdistan is a graphic show of force - a sort of “shock and awe” in slow motion, meaning this is a player to be reckoned with in both the Middle East and Central Asia. Turkey - with much more firepower than Serbia, and a NATO member to boot - has set its objectives with precision: to bomb the KRG’s credibility, and to imprint the extent of its reaction in case the Kurdish go for autonomy, including control of the oil-rich Kirkuk area in Iraq. At the same time, this is a message to Washington (don’t trample us or we destabilize the only “stable” part of Iraq) and to Baghdad (let’s do business; we need some of your oil and a lot of your water for our development).
I do not see a country of only 2 million with it’s education, healthcare and other infrastructure is in shambles and little industry surviving without help of others. Why not take help from their own people?
I think the best thing that can happen is if Albania, B&H and Kosova can merge amicably, set up a good relation with Turkey and improve trade, healthcare, education and industry.
What are the credentials of the present head of state of Kosova? Is he a hero or a puppet?
Nevertheless, the freedom of Kosovars from tyranny is a welcome development.
Regarding Turkey, they could and should have been a lot softer. The army’s blabber about “Turkishness” gets my goats. But separate Kurdistan? I would prefer not.