The
Kurdish Case Against
Turkish Military Actions
By Martin Zehr
15 October, 2007
Countercurrents.org
Recent
activity by the Turkish military and government presents a real danger
of invasion by Turkey against the Kurdish Autonomous Region. Next week
the Turkish Parliament will be voting to approve military action against
the Kurdish Autonomous Region. While the US State Department has opposed
such actions, as have the EU and Russia, it clearly remains a likely
scenario in the near future that Turkish troops will invade southern
Kurdistan in its never-ending military campaign against the Kurdish
resistance movement. Americans who support the rights of the Kurdish
nation confront a mixed proposition. While I adamantly oppose the US
occupation of Iraq, I cannot simply stand by and accept Turkish military
intervention as a solution to the oppression of Kurds as a viable option
in resolving the longstanding conflict. For too long, Turkish troops
have displaced hundreds of Kurdish villages and killed tens of thousands
of Kurds in Turkey with impunity. It is important now to present a strong
and singular warning to Turkey of the consequences of such an attack
on the Kurdish Autonomous Region within Iraq.
The US Senate recently approved
a resolution that recognized the concept of federalism within the Iraqi
state. It is not binding on Iraq, or on the Kurdistan Regional Government
(KRG). It does propose that the national aspirations of the Kurdish
people be recognized internationally in the political reconfiguration
in regards to the rights of both sects and the Kurdish nation in post-occupation
scenario. The KRG has proposed a national dialogue within Iraq on this
issue. Too often there is a presumption that the three have common but
distinct goals in the removal of US troops. The fact is that the Kurdish
position focuses on preserving the autonomy of the Kurdistan Regional
Government within the context of a weaker central Iraqi government or,
failing that, to establish its own state. There is no desire to subordinate
the KRG’s ability to protect Kurdish people to others whose failure
to defend the Kurdish people in the recent past stands as a historical
legacy. Neither is it acceptable for the US to stand blind to the mass
murders of Kurds as it did after the Persian Gulf War.
There is no obscuring the
issue given the recent activity of the Turkish military. Its record
in regards to displacements of Kurdish villages and mass murders stands
despite its denials. The historic actions of the Ottoman Empire against
Armenians stand as a clear warning that the Turkish government’s
actions do not match their words. A Congressional Committee approved
a resolution condemning this genocide of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire.
Clearly, the Turkish government of Prime Minister Erdogan is seeking
not only to continue to deny the genocide against the Armenians but
is seeking to widen its conflict against the Kurds today.
Americans need to support
the Kirkuk referendum as a non-violent and democratic means of determining
the status of Kirkuk within Iraq. If it is decided to be integrated
as part of the Kurdish Autonomous Region, this would empower those within
the borders of Iraq to decide their own destiny. The Turkish opposition
to the right to hold this referendum is an unwarranted interference
in the affairs of another country. Turkmen within Kirkuk are by no means
excluded from this process, but they are by no means represented by
the Turkish government. If the Turkish goal is to annex the Kurdish
Autonomous Region into Turkey, clearly a military invasion will attempt
to make this a fait accompli. This will not demonstrate the will of
the Kurdish people who have voted overwhelmingly in support of their
national sovereignty. At issue is the very right for the Kurdish nation
to establish their own government to represent their people.
American people need to be
taught the recent history of relations within Iraq and the roles of
Iran, Iraq and Turkey and why it is so critical that Kurds have the
ability to determine their future for themselves. This is not an advocacy
for US occupation of Turkey, or for military action against Iran. There
is no hidden alliance here between the Kurdish nation and Israel to
increase Israeli control. It is solely an effort to defend the legitimate
demands of the Kurdish people and their right to construct their own
future. American military aid to Turkey has made possible their ability
to become such a powerful force in the region. This aid should be suspended
until Turkey ceases its provocations. Turkish occupation is not an alternative
to US occupation. As it stands, the US military has not played any significant
role in the Kurdish Autonomous Region. Peace and tranquility has been
established by the current consensus of Kurdish peoples to self-government
within the Iraqi state.
The rights of the peoples
of southern Kurdistan have been constitutionally defined. The Kirkuk
referendum has been mandated in the Constitution in Article 140. While
this is by no means the final resolution of the issue, the Kurdistan
Regional Government has worked as a distinct entity, recognized by all
other parties within Iraq. It has distinct interests that distinguish
it from those in the Sunni and Shi’a sects. Americans sometimes
confuse the sectarian positions from the Kurdish national right to self-determination.
As a politically recognized entity within Iraq, the Kurdish Autonomous
Region is distinguished from the status of the sects and the parties
that represent them. It is possible to promote the Kurdish rights without
presuming the right of US occupation. There is a need to demonstrate
international commitments to the defense of the Kurdish nation.
American people can readily
accept the distinctions. We have no right to impose on the Kurdish people,
given the actions of Saddam Hussein, the requirement to support any
subjugation of the Kurdish nation. The solution lies within the expressed
desires of the Kurdish people. Americans need to understand what this
means. It means that Turkey has NO right to interfere in the rights
to self-government of the Kurdish peoples within Iraq.
Educational work is necessary
to expose the true character of the Turkish war against Kurds that has
been going on for 30 years. The role of the PKK in this struggle remains
a matter that needs to be included without fear of being critical of
particular tactics that it has used in its history. The fundamental
issue is the discrimination and national oppression of Kurdish people
by the Turkish government and the reign of terror on rural Kurds by
the Turkish military. To suggest that recent military moves by the Turkish
military are based on attacks on the Turkish military by the PKK needs
to be exposed in the context of Turkey’s unending dedication to
crush ANY form of Kurdish self-government in the region and prevent
the construction of a stable economy.
Martin Zehr
is an American political writer whose article on the Kirkuk Referendum
has been printed by the Kurdish Regional Government, PUK , Kurdishmedia.com,
and OPEDNEWS.COM He is a Contributing Writer to Kurdish Aspect where
his articles have appeared on line and in print.
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