The Conservative Voice, NC
Oct 13 2007
The American Case Against a Turkish Invasion
October 13, 2007 01:00 PM EST
by Martin Zehr
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. 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 today 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.
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 subordinate their effort to self-determination to
the interests of those who have subjected them in the recent past to
mass murders. 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.
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