Kurds and the Way to Peace

A Quiet War in Northern Iraq

Early this summer, I took about a month off from blogging.  This period was the first time, in a long time, that anyone has much of a chance of telling me about an important news story in the Middle East that I wasn’t already familiar with.  But I wasn’t completely isolated. So imagine my reaction when I heard the BBC run the following story (paraphrased for effect):

“For the umpteenth day, Turkey and Iran have coordinated artillery strikes on Kurdish militants in Northern Iraq.“

I almost drove off the road.  Turkey, a staunch ally, and Iran, enough said, were waging a joint war inside Iraqi terroriry, apparently with our blessing? And I didn’t know about it?!

Several factors are increasing the tension in Kurdistan. First of all, as the U.S. readies to withdraw from Iraqi combat operations, neighboring nations are scrambling to increase their influence in the partial power vacuum that is sure to follow. Iran is attempting to secure an alliance between major Shiite Muslim parties, while Saudia Arabia attempts to bolster Sunni groups and its own influence. Iran also wants to further secure it’s own borders, its alliance with Syria, and its relationship with Turkey by weakening the Kurds in the north.  This becomes increasingly important as the Israeli-Turkish relationship is further strained over Palestine, especially in the wake of the Israeli raid on an aid flotilla destined for Gaza that resulted in the deaths of 9 civilians this past spring.

Special Coverage: Raid of Gaza Flotilla – Time to Evolve Foreign Policy in the Middle East

In fact, according to Iraqi Foreign Minister Hosham Zebari, an ethnic Kurd, international interference in Iraqi politics is a major reason why a new government has not been formed since March’s elections.

However, a major reason why the war against the Kurds has escalated is that since taking office Barack Obama has placed the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK), the major party representing Iranian Kurds,  and the Kurdish Workers Movement (PKK) have been placed on the Terrorist Watch List and American intelligence resources have helped share information with both Turkish and Iranian officials. While some suspected that this was an overture to Iran, it is more likely a move to satisfy Turkey and retain their role as a regional leader.

Because of the nature of the movements of PJAK and the PKK, it is unlikely that their causes have been significantly impacted by this combined shelling, though reports are that civilian casualties are mounting in northern Iraq.

(See the video interview of members of a Kurdish militant groups below)

This episode is just another example of how complex these region of the Middle East really is. The United States is stuck between Iran and Israel, with Turkey in the middle, and the Saudis pushing from a third angle, all while waging two wars and attempting to navigate the tensions of a Pakistani-Indian conflict playing out in Afghanistan. Thus far, Barack Obama has been unwilling to come out and endorse a single player.  Tensions are mounting between Israel and Turkey,  Obama and Netanyahu, Iran and the rest of the world.

It seems that the Kurds are in the crossfire, and unless PKK leaders agree to a separate peace with Turkey, they are unlikely to be relied on by the United States as part of the solution.