Kurds first, Iraq second

[Autonomy]

ARBIL - Viewed from Kurdistan, Iraq is a recurring nightmare that most want to forget.

To state that Kurdish history as part of the Iraqi experiment has been colorful is a huge understatement. For the 6 million or so Kurds residing mainly in the mountainous regions of northern Iraq, their lives have been commonly tainted with tales of uprisings, systematic repression, forced deportation and suffering.

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The problem in this part of the world, a far cry from the terrorist-ridden and volatile south and central areas, is that people do not feel a part of Iraq, or even want to be associated with any of its traditional customs. In this part of the country, it is the Kurdistan flag and not the Iraqi flag that is ubiquitous. Even the crossing at the Haber border gate between Iraq and Turkey suggest that one is entering a separate country, and not Iraq.

For the Kurds, they have fought with their blood and lives to live this day, and they are determined to not settle for anything less than what they feel they deserve - now federalism, as proposed in the draft constitution submitted to parliament this week, perhaps later full autonomy, even independence.

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However, the rags-to-riches success story of the north is perhaps where the heart of the Iraqi problem lies. The fear among Kurds is that in the future Iraq, although free from the dictatorial grasp of Saddam, they may actually end up with less than they enjoyed before.

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Further, the Iraqi Kurdish question is just a piece in the greater Kurdish puzzle that spans the region, especially Turkey, which is dead against Iraq's Kurds gaining too much autonomy (and certainly not independence) least its own Kurdish minority get ideas. Already, there has been increased Kurdish unrest in Turkey, Syria and Iran, owing much to the prominence of the Iraqi Kurds.

More: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GH31Ak04.html