It is riskier for Kurds to remain part of Iraq than to secede: ex-Ambassador

Former US ambassador Peter Galbraith on Friday highlighted the inevitable creation of a new Kurdish state in the Middle East, expounding on Kurdish aspirations for independence.
kurdistan24.net

WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) – A former US ambassador on Friday highlighted the inevitable creation of a new Kurdish state in the Middle East, expounding on Kurdish aspirations for independence.

Kurdistan 24, in partnership with the Washington Times, held a conference in Washington DC titled “The Kurdistan Region: a Strategic US Ally in a Tough Neighborhood.”

Peter Galbraith, a former US Ambassador to Croatia and state senator, was one of the panelists on the session named “Future of Kurdistan, Referendum and Why Independence?”

“The people of the Kurdistan Region overwhelmingly or almost unanimously want independence,” Galbraith said, stating once the referendum is called, independence cannot be stopped.

“With extreme force, it might be delayed, but once people have spoken [held the referendum], the process cannot be stopped,” he added.

The Kurdistan Region has scheduled an independence referendum for Sep. 25, 2017.

He stated that the US and other countries would face a new reality once the referendum is held and that they would adjust their policies.

Galbraith hoped the US and Europe would not repeat their mistake with Yugoslavia. Insisting on maintaining Yugoslavia whole led to a war which resulted in over hundreds of thousand lives casualties, he added.

“They put no emphasis on avoiding war.”

“My friends in the State Department don't believe in 'one-Iraq' policy; they aren't blind, they know the reality,” Galbraith said.

He mentioned that the top-down approach to the US' foreign policy strategy means the leadership can at times be at odds with the views of experts on the ground.

The former ambassador asked the audience if they would want to live in a country whose government had committed genocide against their kin.

"Iraq was a country that fought for Arab nationality. Where would you stand if you weren't Arab?” he inquired.

Galbraith indicated that since 1991, 27 new countries emerged, not from decolonization but by secession. He stated in the 21st century, the partitioning of nations widely accepted, touching upon the example of Scotland and Quebec whose people were allowed to democratically vote on independence, even if they voted against seceding.

He also reminded the audience that an independent Kurdistan is in the best interest of the US as Kurds have been one of Washington's most loyal allies.

According to him, the US brought an Iraqi Shia government favorable to Iran after Saddam's fall in 2003.

Galbraith stated Iran rules over a significant component of Iraq's population, including the Shia militia known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) which has been officially folded into the Iraqi Army now.

“Who is Iran's closest ally in the entire world? It is Iraq.”

In another part of the panel, he argued against the opponents of the Kurdish move toward independence, claiming the arguments against the referendum “hold no water.”

 

Some officials have contended that an independent Kurdistan would lead to instability in the region.

“The region has been unstable in the past 100 years. It is impossible to say an independent Kurdistan would make it worse.”

He mentioned that a democratic and pro-western Kurdistan could have a positive impact on stability in the area.

Commenting on the timing of the Kurds' push for a referendum, with some arguing the Kurdistan Region is simply "not ready," Galbraith spared no punches.

“Who was ready? Croatia was not ready. The US was not ready [when they declared independence].”

He recognized the economic crisis in the Kurdistan Region but reminded that if everything "was fine," Kurds would not feel they had no other choice but to separate from Iraq.

“People seek independence when things aren’t working.”

Other arguments have included the "risks" to the people of the Kurdistan Region should they seek independence. Galbraith categorically refuted that argument.

“As if staying with Iraq is free of risk. For the people of the Kurdistan Region, it is riskier to remain in an Iraq ruled by a Shia religious majority aligned with Iran,” he concluded.

 

Editing by G.H. Renaud