Kurds Wonder Where They Fit in the New Iraq

[leftchick]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/latimests/20040727/ts_latimes/kurdswonderwheretheyfitinthenewiraq&cid=2026&ncid=1480


<snip>
Since the hand-over of power to a new Iraqi government, many Kurds are asking themselves whether the bargain made by their political leaders to rejoin the rest of Iraq after 13 years of semi-independence is really worth it. At the very least, Hassan said, Kurds must demand more equality and autonomy than is on offer. To him, independence would be better.


But many political leaders here say their Arab compatriots aren't taking their concerns seriously.


<snip>
At the heart of the discontent, he said, is that Arabs treat the Kurds — who are ethnically and linguistically different — as "little brothers." For instance, although Kurds were awarded eight posts in the new interim government of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, including a deputy premiership, there was a consensus that the top two positions, the prime ministership and the presidency, would go only to Arabs. Kurds make up about 20% of Iraq's 25 million people.


Also, Kurds' wishes to absorb the city and province of Kirkuk into their regional administration have been deferred indefinitely. The strategic, oil-rich city was predominantly Kurdish and Turkmen until Hussein's government resettled large numbers of Arabs there.

[thebigidea]

1. Fool me twice, uh....

[0007]

2. Three card monte is a fast game and leaves no doubt

as to what happened after the game is over.

I predict it is just a matter of time before they join their enemies.

[Rockholm]

3. Thought The Kurds Had All That Figured Out....

Turn over Saddam from his prearranged spider hole, collect $25 million and for that get an autonomous region in the new and improved Iraq. Guess they get screwed AGAIN.

[lapfog_1]

4. This is not surprising...

California is known for its cultural and racial diversity...
however, I have to say that when the war in Iraq started, an
acquaintance of mine, a man that I knew to be "Arabic" but never
really knew from where, exactly, he originated... engaged me in
conversation. The most surprising thing was that this man, normally
a calm and accepting person, began telling me all kinds of strange
racially charged tales about Kurds, specifically, that Kurds were
known to steal Arab babies and kill them in rituals.
I was in shock, not knowing how to react. I nodded my head,
expressed some opinion like "well, that sounds too farfecthed"
and politely (and quickly) withdrew. Afterwords, I started thinking
that he REALLY believed this, and he was an educated and reasonable
person, living here in California... and that Iraq, no matter how
the war turned out, was going to be a disaster.

What is it about baby killing and racial hatred... Xians have been
accusing Jews of this for centuries, and it was a cornerstone of
the Nazi persecution... and now to hear this same claptrap about
Kurds from an Arab...

Sigh.