Will Iraq fracture?
Kurds Show Signs of Seceding From Iraq (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/06/AR2006100600860.html)

If I were a Kurd, I'd want to secede...

That is an awesome plan.

Completely splinter Iraq into 10 different states.

Whoever thought of that should get a medal.


That should have been the game plan the whole time.
/thumbs up.

The Bush Admin. couldn't do that, because the Turks would have refused to cooperate with invading Iraq. The Turks do NOT want to see an independent Kurdish state.

Doesn't the Kurd area contain most of the oil? That would be pretty devastating for the rest of iraq. I bet the Shiites and Sunnis would form an alliance and go harass the Kurds.

The southern area also contains extensive oilfields (hence the conflict with Kuwait). It's the central area that is resource poor.

I heard one potential plan would be basically three seperate states with a very weak central government that basically just splits up the oil revenues. Not sure how well it would work, but whatever works is fine by me. The only thing I believe we can't do is cut and run (or redeploy or what the hell ever the politically correct term is this week). All other options should be on the table as far as I'm concerned.

I heard one potential plan would be basically three seperate states with a very weak central government that basically just splits up the oil revenues. Not sure how well it would work, but whatever works is fine by me. The only thing I believe we can't do is cut and run (or redeploy or what the hell ever the politically correct term is this week). All other options should be on the table as far as I'm concerned.

Sounds like a confederation.

Sounds like a confederation.

Yup, sounds like UAE. Which appears to work just fine.

Yup, sounds like UAE. Which appears to work just fine.

For some reason I can't think of anything but United Earth Directorate. Too many Blizzard games for me.

I'd have to agree that siding with the Kurds would be a good idea. The rest of the arabs there seem to want nothing more than to kill each other. The Kurds at least seem a bit more reasonable. I don't know what they did to the Turks to make them hated so.

No matter how Iraq ends, it won't be good for anyone. Perhaps this is the best idea. Maybe, at some future time they'll join back up into a coherent state, if they can manage to get along.

For some reason I can't think of anything but United Earth Directorate. Too many Blizzard games for me.

I'd have to agree that siding with the Kurds would be a good idea. The rest of the arabs there seem to want nothing more than to kill each other. The Kurds at least seem a bit more reasonable. I don't know what they did to the Turks to make them hated so.

No matter how Iraq ends, it won't be good for anyone. Perhaps this is the best idea. Maybe, at some future time they'll join back up into a coherent state, if they can manage to get along.

The Kurds of Turkey have been trying to secede for years now...frequently violently. Turkey does not want an independant Kurdistan on its border which could argue for annexation of the Kurdish areas of Turkey and/or provide resources for the Kurdish resistance in Turkey.

The Kurdish question isn't new. Western governments have to make conflicting choices whether to support self-determination, independence, right of resistance (terrorism), governmental oppression, NATO, oil supplies, EU entry for Turkey, relations with Islamic moderates, etc. There isn't a clear right choice, however every aspect of the Kurdish question could have been anticipated before the invasion.

Splitting up Iraq into three regions is certainly possible, but won't solve much. The most violent regions (e.g. Baghdad) have mixed communities. You'd have to have mass migrations before you achieve stability.

... and yes, Turkey would not allow a separate Kurdish nation on its borders.


... and... ummm... derail... it says Time to pick a title! under my name. Gads. No idea what to pick. Any suggestions? I probably prefer a blank.

Time to pick a title! under my name. Gads. No idea what to pick. Any suggestions? I probably prefer a blank.

Your wish is my command!

LOL!

ROFL....I like it :)

Damn I need 200 more posts.

Re EU/Turkey.. More in general and not specifically related to Iraq

I know of some the issues regarding EU and Turkey, but why does the EU want Turkey so much? They seem to be sorta bending their rules and values a little to make it easier for Turkey join. (Kurdish stuff, Aremenian Genocide, and general Western VS Islamic cultural/social differences)

Honestly curious, Not trying to flame europe or anything!

but why does the EU want Turkey so much?
They don't. At least, there's a lot of resistance to it in the EU, and for good reasons. But Turkey wants to become part of the EU, or at least, the Turkish leaders do.

I can see a lot of advantages to having Turkey in the EU. It'd probably go a long way toward encouraging Turkish Muslims to being more moderate, it'd increase their standard of living and education and all important things like that. As a primarily muslim country, it would demonstrate to other Muslim countries what sort of good things can happen if you set aside religious zealotry and take good care of your people.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1003/p06s01-woeu.html

Do a google search on Turkey and EU ... oops... I typed that first as EQ!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6045838.stm

Here's more on Turkey and the EU. Lots of very strange dilemmas coming from this vote.

Turkey has condemned a French parliamentary vote which would make it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered "genocide" at the hands of the Turks.