The Kurdish people are an ethnic group which inhabit swaths of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. Historically they have been much maligned by their respective national governments, with the Kurds fighting insurgent battles and committing terror attacks in every aforementioned country. As a result of maps drawn by Europeans during the colonial era, the Kurds found themselves without a nation. Despite the lack of clearly delineated national boundaries for the Kurds, Kurdistan is still accepted as a quasi-reality. That is, Kurdistan exists. The Kurds live there. But it is not seen on maps, as it is not respected internationally for its borders.
So why do the Kurds matter? Why doesn’t the west engage with them more actively? And what do the Kurds have to offer?
Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Iraqi Kurdistan proved to be one of the most reliable territories, largely free of the violence that plagued the rest of Iraq. The Kurds proved important in nation building, and their stability was a source of hope in the otherwise bleak political and security outlook of Iraq.
In Turkey the government has fought many conflicts with the Kurds, with the Kurds committing numerous terror attacks against the Turkish government and civilian populace. The Kurds in Turkey want autonomy, and given the historical ties between the west and Turkey, the west was largely inclined to ignore Turkish aggression against the Kurds. Ignoring a few atrocities is easier than giving up major bases, such as Incirlik, in Turkey, or risking losing a forward deployment theater for your nuclear weapons – which the US used Turkey for during the Cold War, and today.
The Iranians have been equally unforgiving of the Kurds within Iran, and have persecuted the Kurds aggressively.
Kurds in Syria were relocated and targeted as well, though not quite as passionately as they have been in Turkey, Iran, or Iraq.
Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria all historically dislike one another. Strongly. Turkey hates Syria. Iran hates Iraq. But they all seem to hate the Kurds. This stems from Kurdish commitment to creating a free, true Kurdistan nation. That and the Kurds killing them.
They want other nations to cede territory so that they may have their own state. No nation on the face of the planet is going to just give up territory without some sort of a fight – no matter how right or wrong they may be. I will not debate the moral issues, or who is ‘correct’ in this context.
Every side would have legitimate grievances. Everyone is guilty. No one is innocent. The Kurds, the Iraqis, the Iranians, the Turks, and the Syrians are all complicit in crimes against humanity in defense, or pursuit of, their national boundaries.
The United States has largely advocated for the status quo. Dealing with a stable government – even one you dislike – is easier than dealing with a destabilized nation, or entire region. But I believe the time has come to rethink the approach to the Kurds.
Kurdish Democracy
The Kurds are democratic. In fact, they’re quite liberal in many ways – even by some western standards. They seriously pursue women’s rights at their national level. Their armed forces have integrated women. And their democracy has been an oasis of stability and moderation in a region consumed by extremism.
The Kurds go to the polls. They vote. They respect their electoral decisions. And they allow for women representatives. These are all the hallmarks of a modern democracy. As the rest of the region fights despots and extremism, and the United States is forced to make deals with the devil, the Kurds have proven far more reliable.
The Kurds Take The Fight To ISIS
In Iraq and Syria, the Kurds have fought ISIS for years. They have been out-manned and heavily outgunned at times, but they fight tenaciously. The Kurdish military, or Pershmerga, is remarkably well trained, disciplined, and motivated.
In fact, ISIS hates fighting the Kurds. That’s because death from the bullet of a Peshmerga woman means no heaven. As this Kurdish woman says, “That’s why they avoid women’s bullets”. Personally I try to avoid all bullets. Plus, Kurdish women make it look so damn cool.
The Kurds have shown that they are truly in a fight for their very survival, and when everything is on the line it shows what you are made of. Rights aren’t just given. More accurately, they are taken. Let’s face it – people in power don’t want to cede any sort of authority, or rights, to other groups, lest they have to. Kurdish women have died securing their place in government, the armed forces, and society at large. And ISIS is terrified of them.
The Soviet Union, for all of its many faults, did enjoy more success in one area than much of the west – women’s rights. This was secured by women who fought bravely on the eastern front against the Nazis. Their sacrifices helped pave the way for accomplishments like the first woman in space. Now the Kurdish women are doing the same.
Which is more in line with western values? A Turkish despot that attacks the press, or a democratic system with broad representation and stability?
The Kurds Piss Off Everyone We Don’t Like
The old saying “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” closely coincides with “politics makes for strange bedfellows”. If the circumstances are right you can find yourself allied with just about anyone. Alliances shift over time based on national priorities. The United States was allied with the Soviet Union to defeat the Nazis. Soon after, well, we had decades of the Cold War. Only Nixon can go to China. Taco Bell/KFC hybrid stores. There are countless examples.
So if the Kurds irritate the Iranians, Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, Turkey’s Erdogan, ISIS, and have proven to be about the only adult in the room in Iraq, isn’t it time we reevaluate our position towards the Kurds?
Arming groups often comes back to bite the United States in the butt. But the situation for the Kurds is different. The Kurds are fighting for their nation, their very survival, and have proven to be capable of managing things well at a national level. This would not be an experiment of ‘what will happen…’ if the Kurds control territory. They already do. They’ve already shown what they would do with that land. And they’ve shown not just who they would fight against, and what they would fight for, but how.
In my assessment the Kurds have, by and large, proven in the 21st century to be a responsible state actor, despite not having a state, and have shown remarkable commitment to what we perceive as western values. Here is an opportunity to help stabilize the Kurds, develop trade and ties, defeat ISIS, defeat al-Assad, and create a springboard for broader regional stability.
Let’s be on the right side of history.
The Rushin Perspective 
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