‘The Kurds have no friends but the mountains.” For many Kurds, that sombre saying is a reality that has plagued them for centuries.
Constantly dominated or occupied by others, often discriminated against by stronger forces denying them a homeland of their own, the 25 million Kurdish people of the Middle East, predominantly living in Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran, have still managed to keep alive their dream of a homeland and independent state.
The suffering of the Kurds and their possible future has special relevance for Canadians, as Canada is deeply involved in the training and support for Kurdish fighters who are key units in the battle against ISIS in the Middle East.
Unfortunately for the Kurds, although the British and French governments promised in the 1920 Treaty of Sevres, following defeat of the Ottoman Empire, to support establishment of an independent state for the Kurds, they soon broke their promise as it conflicted with their own political and economic interests.
As if the Kurds hadn’t already experienced enough hardships in their history, the arrival in power of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein unleashed even more suffering, as the Iraqi leader viewed the Kurds as a threat to his rule.
To end such threats, the Iraqi strongman even bombed the Kurdish population of Halabja with nerve gas, killing much of the civilian population.
That ghastly attack resulted in the U.S. government protecting the Kurdish minority in Iraq with a no-fly zone in what is now the autonomous Kurdish province.
The northern portion of that quasi-independent region — which borders Turkey — is the stronghold of the Kurdistan Workers Party, which has been engaged in an off-and-on guerrilla war with Turkey.
In the latest twist to the never-ending struggle of the Kurds to some day have an independent country of their own, who should play a leading role in promoting and assisting such an unexpected development but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s controversial leader.
Erdogan reportedly told a visiting group of American politicians that the Kurdish autonomous administration in Iraq was well-run, and Turkey could support its independence. This is the same Turkish authoritarian leader who, since assuming power, has been systematically undermining Turkey’s own secular constitution and commitment to authentic democracy.
In addition, Erdogan has been accused by Russia of not only undercutting the rule of law but also of providing secret assistance to extremist groups such as ISIS.
Canadians might find it difficult to understand how it’s possible for such an authoritarian leader as Erdogan suddenly to support the creation of an independent sovereign Kurdish nation despite the oppressive rule inflicted on the Kurds by Turkish governments, including his own.
In such a world, where today’s enemies might be tomorrow’s friends, safeguarding and promoting one’s own interests always takes precedence over such concepts as loyalty or commitment to the rule of law.
Erdogan is suggesting that a Kurdish state would be created from the existing autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq, not from territory belonging to Turkey.
Turkish business groups are already deeply involved in the economy of the Kurdish autonomous region.
Such an autonomous government could theoretically play a role in undermining the greater threat posed by Turkey’s own Kurds, as well as the increasingly important Kurdish fighters linked to Canadian military personnel in the fighting against ISIS. Erdogan might hope that a Kurdish government on Iraqi territory could eventually reduce the danger from the battle-trained and hardened Kurdish forces operating in the region.
In the murky world inhabited by Erdogan, even promoting the dismemberment of neighbouring Iraq might have a certain appeal.
In any event, the Kurds in Iraq will likely vote for independence in a referendum to be held on Sept. 25, a reality of which Turkey’s leader is already well aware and which he hopes might end up serving his own interests.
Harry Sterling, a former diplomat, is an Ottawa-based commentator. He served in Turkey.
