A plan for Iraq

[LuckyTheDog]

Two parts:

1) Set up Iraqi Kurdistan as an independent country. Give them the same deal as Israel: be a Western-style republic and you will have all the weapons you need and tons of aid.

2) Withdraw all our troops from the rest of Iraq and let the civil war burn itself out before we offer any more help.

Why wouldn't that work? I guess Turkey might gripe. But they could be given security guarantees and membership in the EU in return for going along).

[Warren Stupidity]

1. It isn't ours to do anything with.

The Kurdish people decided a long time ago that they had an autonomous region in northern Iraq and that they would participate in the fiction of the Iraqi government only to the extent that it served their national purposes. Your plan part one is already an accomplished fact, making it official would upset Turkey, there is no point in doing that. As for part two, why yes of course we should get out, we should get out now.

[LuckyTheDog]

2. Here is why I disagree

The only way to salvage anything like a "win" for American interests out of all this mess would be the creation of a friendly, democratic state in the region -- a real one with its own army and foreign policy. That was NEVER, EVER going to be the case with Iraq as a whole. But, with Iraqi Kurdistan, it could be.

As for what the Turks think... well, U.S. foreign policy is supposed to promote the long-term, enlightened best interests of the United States. Things with Turkey could be smoothed over. And if they refuse to be bought off... well, then maybe they don't really need U.S. diplomatic help in their bid to join the EU.

If that sounds like hardball, it's because it is. But, along with that, the U.S. should provide iron-clad guarantees that it would defend Turkey against any aggression by the Kurdish state and that the status of every inch of Turkish territory would be non-negotiable. In short, they should know that the U.S. would stand by its NATO commitments 100%.

[Warren Stupidity]

3. Why should we 'win'?

This is not a game. A reasonable estimate is that 650,000 Iraqis are dead because we decided to invade their country. We do not have any ethical position here other than to get our of their country so that they can settle their differences without our interference, and pay reparations as determined appropriate by some neutral third party. We have no right to decide if the government of Iraq, or Kurdistan, or Greater Iran, or the Sunni Federation or whatever comes out of this mess should be democratic, theocratic, communist, or anything we want at all, nor do we have a right to decide if whatever comes out of this mess is friendly to us or not. We have one obligation only: stop perpetrating the crime we initiated in 2003.

The Kurdish people appear to be quite capable of determining what is best for them. They do not need any more of our blundering idiocy. If they want to make their independence official rather than unofficial, that is their business, not ours. Why on earth should we be pushing a confrontation with Turkey over this?

[LuckyTheDog]

4. We never should have invaded. Period.

We never should have invaded. Period. BUT...

Three things to keep in mind:

1)I never, ever suggested that we "force" anything on the Kurds, only that we make an offer to support their well-known aspirations for real independence.

2) We need to start from where we are now. There are no "do-overs" in foreign policy. We cannot undo what we have done, we can only move forward.

3) You are right. This is NOT a game. The goal of U.S. foreign policy is to protect the interests of the United States. In this case, I think that if the Kurds want a state -- then it is in our interests to help them. They are, after all, the only group in the Middle East besides the Israelis likely to form anything like a Western-style republic.

Confrontation with Turkey? I am not so sure that such a thing is inevitable. Under the right circumstances, an independent Kurdistan could be a help to Turkey -- in that it would form a counterbalance to the Arab powers and Iran. The Kurds and the Turks have common interests that could form the basis of an alliance -- especially if the U.S. acts as an honest broker (with the support of other NATO members).

Remember: the goal here is to limit the damage of what we have done, get our troops out of harm's way and try to salvage whatever good might come out of this mess. The Arab Iraqis clearly do not want us involved in their civil war. So, we should withdraw.

But we also have an obligation to the Kurds. I think we owe them something better than abandoning them to be part of the sinking ship that is Iraq -- unless, for whatever reason, the Kurds still WANT to remain part of Iraq.

We also owe ourselves and future generations of Americans the potential of another strong, democratic ally in the Middle East. The establishment of an independent Kurdistan might accomplish that. It is worth exploring it.

[Texasgal]

5. Kurdistan

has already been operating as it's own country for years.