History of Kurds and Kurdistan struggle
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| Kurds celebrating the outcome of Kurdistan Referendum |
Kurdistan is a loosely defined region wherein the ethnic Kurds form the majority of the population and have their own distinct culture, language, and identity. The Kurdistan region ranges from the Northwestern Zagros mountainous region to the Eastern Taurus mountains. The modern-day Kurdistan region is part of the four separate countries; Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. Northern Kurdistan is now considered the Southeastern Turkey, western Kurdistan is part of the Syrian territory, South Kurdistan is part of the Iraqi union and the Northwestern region lies in Iran.
Kurds due to their distinct identity from Arabs and Iranians have always strived to form a separate state for themselves within the region in which they form the majority but due to the severe crackdown from the governments of their respective countries and many other reasons they were unsuccessful. The war in Iraq and Syria proved to be a blessing in disguise for them and they are now controlling a huge territory in Iraq and Syria due to their warfare capability. Recently the Kurdistan regional government in Iraq held a referendum which is considered the first step towards the formation of a greater Kurdistan. The Kurdistan referendum was not received well by the immediate neighbors and resulted in sanctions from Iraq, Iran, and Turkey. The differences that emerged in the region due to this plebiscite also created a difficult situation for the bigger powers like America and Russia involved in the region. Below we have discussed how the Kurdistan referendum has brought about some serious repercussions for America and Russia.
Kurdistan Referendum and complexities for America
The United States Of America is in an awkward situation in the Middle East due to its involvement in multiple conflicts across the region. The involvement in multiple disputes has resulted in many alliances of necessity for America and Kurd-US alliance is one them. On one hand, the United States of America and Turkey being the top two contributors to the NATO forces are considered allies of each other but on the other hand, are facing growing rift over the issue of arming Syrian Kurds. Though America has banned PKK ( organization active against Turkish state) but has provided arms and ammunition to their allied Kurds in Syria. The step taken by America has been heavily criticised by Turkish President and Turkey has sent its forces to push Kurds and ISIS away from its border and to stop any kind of lawlessness. In this two-way alliance, if America supports Kurdistan referendum then it would create a huge rift with its NATO ally and if does not support the referendum it will make Kurds uneasy about their alliance with the West. Now moving towards Iraq if America supports the Iraqi Kurdistan referendum it will disrupt American alliance with the government in Baghdad, alliance with Shias militias backed by Iran and the alliance of necessity with the Iranian government and if does not support the referendum it will weaken America alliance with Kurds to defeat Islamists in Iraq and Syria. The other major worry for Americans is that if it allows the division of Iraq into two, it will become a precedent for further sub-division on different lines. So for the Americans, we can say that they are between the devil and the deep sea.
Kurdistan referendum and complexities for Russia
After America, the other major international player active in the Middle East is Russia. Russia does not have any military presence in Iraq but the close proximity of Russian forces stationed in Syria and its alliance with Iran, Hezbollah and Bashar Al-Assad on one side and close relations with Kurds and even military cooperation on some occasions on the other side makes it an important player in the politics of the region. Russia has also recently improved its relations with Turkey, which is a fierce critic of Kurdistan referendum. If Russia supports the recent referendum it will make Iran and Turkey uncomfortable and could result in a major split between Russia and the Iranian regime. The split will not only affect the alliance of these countries in Syria but will also give a chance to the ISIS to regroup and launch attacks from the Syrian territory into the Iranian and Russian heartland. In contrast, if Russia opposes the referendum it will affect its relations with one of its closest allies in the Middle East, Kurds and can create possible problems for its troops stationed in Syria.
Muhammad Asim is a passionate blogger and the founder and editor of the Politicalaxis.com
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