Have you ever heard of Erbil?
Despite threats from Baghdad, it seems probable that geography students will soon have to
learn the name of this capital city as well as its new country: Iraqi Kurdistan.
The 25th of September this year was a historical moment for the more than 5 million Kurds who
currently live in this autonomous community in the north of Iraq.
And why was this?
Well, that’s because after decades of unfulfilled promises and ethnic repression, they had the
opportunity to vote in a referendum organized by the Regional Government of Kurdistan.
Since 2005, and according to the Constitution of Iraq, Kurdistan is an autonomous region...
but this area worked, essentially, almost as a totally independent country.
And the result of this was that the population really wanted to be fully independent.
The day of the referendum, Kurds show up en-mass at the polling stations.
Even speakers at mosques encouraged voters to go to the polls.
Well, the final results showed the referendum was a complete success…
More than 7 out of every 10 Kurds went to vote.
That almost 3.1 million votes.
The victory was overwhelming for those who supported independence, obtaining 92.73% of
the vote.
And you know what, this triumph is totally understandable, because we are talking about
some of the most ill-treated people in history.
And that’s even though the Kurds are, according to many experts, the most ancient people in
the entire region.
It is estimated that their culture, their language, theirs rituals, essentially everything
that could define them, have been in this part of the world (Upper Mesopotamia) for
more than 4,000 years...
In fact, many of these experts consider the city centre of Erbil, the capital, as the
oldest human settlement to be continuously inhabited on the planet.
In other words, the Kurds are older than the Persians or the Arabs.
However, they have suffered from all kinds of persecution.
See, the total number of Kurds is around 30 million, spread across, mainly, four countries:
Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq.
Well, in all these places the Kurds have suffered the consequences of nationalism that has tried
to make them disappear as a community.
They have tried to end their culture, their language, as well as trying to close down
their media outlets.
Between 1986 and 1989, Saddam Hussein launched the “Anfal Campaign” and estimations are
that between 50,000 and 180,000 Kurds died as a result of this campaign.
And as you might imagine, this cannot be easily forgotten.
“My grandfather had a good sense of humor.
He used to say he was born a Kurd, in a free country.
Then the Ottomans arrived and said to my grandfather, "You're Ottoman," [...] At the fall of the
Ottoman Empire, he became Turkish.
The Turks left and he became a Kurd again.
[...] Then the British arrived, so my grandfather became a subject of His Gracious Majesty.
The British invented Iraq, so my grandfather became Iraqi, but [...] to his dying breath
he was never proud of being Iraqi.
Hiner Saleem, “My father's rifle : a childhood in Kurdistan”.
Considering the history, it is no surprise that the Kurds want, once and for all, to
make the dream of having their own state come true.
And if we add up the fact that the Iraqi Kurdistan is quite a rich area in terms of oil and natural
gas (as well as fresh water, by the way) we can understand even more why they want independance.
So, to sum up, the Kurds want, and are able, to build their own country.
And it is beneficial for them, so, well, they did that.
THE REFERENDUM
As we have said, Kurdistan is almost an independent country already…
they even have their own army of more than 200,000 soldiers: the Peshmerga, who have
(by the way) been the main defiance to Islamic State in Iraq.
Do bear this in mind because the government of Kurdistan is a close ally of Washington.
Maybe their most loyal ally in the area actually.
Because of this, the US has trained, financed and armed their army.
Some even say that the Kurds are as pro-American as Texans!
So, after many difficult years of intense fighting against Islamic State, it has been
clear for the Kurds that there are almost no advantages in remaining in Iraq.
And the government of Erbil took advantage of these battles to integrate Kurd areas into
their political space.
For example there is the province of Kirkuk, who had a majority of Kurds but was not within
the autonomous region of Kurdistan.
Kirkuk is something of a “crown jewel” and one of the main reasons for conflict with
the Iraqi government, who by the way has not hesitated to send their troops over to recover
this settlement.
“Iraqi Forces Sweep Into Kirkuk, Checking Kurdish Independence Drive”
So why is this territory so valuable?
Well, that’s Because Kirkuk is the province that contains the most oil in Kurdistan...
In fact, it is estimated that around 10% of all Iraqi oil reserves are concentrated here,
in Kirkuk, and nobody wants to let them go...
In 2007, a referendum should have been conducted to incorporate (or not) the Autonomous Region
of Kurdistan… but voting never took place.
So when the Peshmerga occupied the city in order to protect it from Islamic State since
the Iraqi army had literally run away… the Kurd Government had, de facto, annexed the
territory.
So, with these conditions and with constant negotiations between Baghdad and Erbil (and
with a growing disconnect between both territories) they eventually got to the referendum.
“This is the first time in history that the people of Kurdistan will freely decide
their future.
After that we will start talks with Baghdad, to reach an agreement over borders, water
and oil”.
Mr Barzani, president of Iraqi Kurdistan.
Now, the government of Iraq opposed this referendum in every way and the Constitutional Court
of Iraq even outlawed it.
Parliament asked for many things including: the withdrawal of diplomatic representation
in Erbil, a border closure, and even army deployment…
In Kirkuk there was also prosecution of the organizers of the referendum and, of course,
parliament tried their best to remain in control of all the oil.
But...even with this kind of action by the Iraqi government, the Kurds didn’t really
care.
And that’s only logical, because despite the progress of the Iraqi army, the risk
for Kurdistan is probably not in Iraq, but rather is with the international community.
You see, Turkey and Iran don't even want to hear about an independent Kurdistan.
That might give the Kurds in their territories an idea to replicate this success.
Turkey, for instance, has been at war with the Kurds for decades, but that’s a story
for another day...
The thing is these countries have allied with Iraq to defy the referendum:
Turkey’s military has confirmed that Turkey and Iraq will conduct joint military drills
in Turkey, along an area bordering Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency reported that on Sunday that the Supreme National Security
Council closed Iranian airspace to the Iraqi Kurdish area at the request of the central
government in Baghdad.
And no, it's not just about the possibility of conflict...
After all, it is likely to be the result of fear tactics (which are very usual in this
kind of situations) and they rarely work, by the way.
Remember Kurdistan is a close ally of the USA and they have an experienced and well
trained army...
No, the bigger issue might be that Kurdistan needs their neighbours...
This territory is landlocked and they are very dependent on Turkey: both to export their
oil to and to import anything they might need...
So, a trade blockade would be a serious threat for this territory.
“The KRG’s economy depends on one pipeline that sells oil to international markets and
the pipeline goes through Turkey.
You shut down that pipeline, you choke the Kurdish economy,” Bilal Wahab, analyst at
the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
But there is more to it than their neighbours.
Nobody wants any more tension with this part of the world so, .internationally speaking,
the referendum didn´t get much support.
The US has opposed it, and Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the UN has described
it as “dangerous and potentially disruptive”.
Today, only Israel clearly supports the independence of this country.
The future doesn't look very good then, does it?
Well, wait, because despite all this, it is likely that Kurdistan will achieve independence
sooner or later...
THE REASONS FOR A NEW COUNTRY
Iraqi Kurdistan has many issues, however they have managed to become the region that functions
the best in Iraq.
They are the safest and wealthiest area.
“I’ve been to Iraqi Kurdistan a number of times.
It’s safer than Kansas [...] If you’re coming from Baghdad or Mosul, it’s practically
Switzerland”.
Michael J. Totten.
American journalist.
Check this out: In 2014, before the IS offensive, this region was turning into the most relevant
financial and tourist spot in Iraq - an oasis for many businessmen, both local and foreign...
Skyscrapers, malls, and mansions, were spreading like mushrooms after the rain…
That was until the war broke out in Iraq against the Islamic State.
Then, most of this development had to stop.
Now, after some awful years of war, in 2017 the numbers are bouncing back…
And remember that this area is oil rich.
Some estimations calculate the oil reserves of Kurdistan as 45 billion barrels!
To put it into words, Kurdistan would be among the 15 oil richest countries on Earth.
And this is in a country with little more than 5 million inhabitants.
But there is still so much more…
Iraq´s Kurdistan is quite business friendly.
Indeed, they like private initiatives…
something uncommon in this part of the globe.
Taxes are also attractive and bureaucracy is not excessive either.
Unfortunately though, there is still plenty of corruption.
“The Kurdistan Government will do its best to help the private sector and have them invest
here.
[...] I invite all local and foreign investors here to take advantage of our laws and offers,
and invest”.
Masoud Barzani, president of Iraqi Kurdistan.
The thing is that this region has enough going for it to make Kurdistan a prosperous country...
They have fertile land, high levels of safety, and natural resources.
Further, their geographical location is beneficial: a place between Turkey, Iran and Iraq.
But, on top of that: This new country is only…
well… fair...
The Kurd people, and especially Iraqi Kurds have been deported, attacked with chemical
weapons, and have suffered all sorts of social engineering in order to strangle their culture.
And now they have an opportunity to build their own country.
Further, the rest of us could also benefit from a more moderate, prosperous and free
country than the ones around it...
The Middle East would certainly be better for it.
Are what about the problems in today's Iraqi Kurdistan, are there any?
Well, of course there are, but that is no excuse to not make this happen.
First, because these problems exist now (with them still being a part of Iraq), and second:
because they are less serious problems than the ones in the rest of the country.
So, is there corruption?
Yes, totally.
Is there oil dependency?
Yes indeed.
Debt?
Oh yes, that too...
But this is totally normal in this part of the world…
The rest of Iraq is in a much worse situation for sure.
Well, anyway, we just wish that Baghdad's response does not turn this situation into
a military conflict.
That would be a terrible scenario for everyone, and would be also one of those situations
where political interests prevailed above the people’s.
But now it’s time for your opinion: do you support the independence of Kurdistan?
Well, leave your answer in the comments as well as in the survey.
Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel for brand new videos every Monday and Thursday.
Also, don’t forget to check out our friends at the Reconsider Media Podcast - they provided
the vocals in this episode that were not mine!
And as always, thanks for watching!