Via the AP: Kurdish leader threatens Iraq secession
The leader of the Kurdish region in northern Iraq threatened secession Sunday as a dispute over flying the Iraqi flag intensified.Massoud Barzani on Friday ordered the country’s national flag to be replaced with the Kurdish one, sparking harsh words in Baghdad.
“If we want to separate, we will do it, without hesitation or fears,” Barzani, president of the Kurdish region, said during an address to parliament.
He tempered his comments slightly by saying that Kurdish leaders already have voted to remain in a united Iraq.
Yes, I am sure that will put the matter to rest. Isn’t that like threatening divorce and then pointing out how you did, after all, say your vows at the wedding? That’s not the kind of thing that will quell fears or reassure that this whole flag flap is nothing to worry about.
It has always been obvious that the Kurds would prefer separation (an action that will cause great consternation for the Turks, should it come to pass). The question has been: to what degree do they see themselves as Iraqi? As Sunni-Shia violence continues to their south, it is not surprising that they would start thinking about flying solo (and by that, I don’t just mean flag choices).
If the Kurd do go it alone, what will be the response of the remaining Iraqi provinces? And what about some of the disputed oil-rich territory between the two? Would the threat of an independent Kurdistan unite the Sunni and Shia in an effort to maintain national unity and control of oil-rich real estate? What would the US do? On the one hand, our policies have been invested in the notion of a unified Iraq, yet on the other the Kurds have been our best allies within Iraq.
The scenarios are numerous, fascinating and troubling.
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It is interesting that this has now just become an issue. The Kurds have always flown their flag, I am not sure why Massoud Barzani would be so brazen about it today.
If the Kurds decide to go it alone, there won’t be much of a fight. Kurds pretty much own Kirkuk and all of the oil fields that surround it, however, they don’t own the refineries or pipelines that lead to Bayji. They would still need some help to export their oil, which would still place other provinces in a position of leverage. Besides, I still don’t see Turkey or Iran allowing an independent Kurdistan (or exporting oil from an independent Kurdistan). What would be really interesting is not the reaction of the Iraqi people, but the reaction of the US government. Would the US allow the independence to occur and risk damage to US ties with Turkey?
Comment by bg — Monday, September 4, 2024 @ 11:18 am