Kurdistan

[faceless]

George Galloway - 2011-05-29 - The Real Deal

Over the years I've spoken to a few Arab people who have been vehemently opposed to the idea of Kurdistan as a nation. But as far as I can see they deserve recognition as a separate entity. Good luck to them.

[major.tom]

If the Kurdish people of Turkey do separate, it's conceivable that they would join with the neighboring Kurdish populations of Iraq and Syria. If that's their desire, who am I to say different? This (along with the unrest that may go along with it) was certainly a predictable result of the invasion of Iraq. My only misgivings about this possibility is that it will add to the balkanisation of the ME. If the Iraqi Kurds separate (which they have practically managed to do already), it's quite possible that the Shia and Sunni will join their respective counterparts in neighboring countries (Iran, Jordan, Syria?). Whether this will result in peaceful neighbors or animosity and polarization, only time (or more learned people than myself) will tell.

I wonder to what degree (if any) separatist movements are a factor in the Arab Spring? Obviously not in Egypt, Tunisia or Libya, but in Bahrain, Syria, or Yemen? Does anyone know?

One final observation from the video: Erdogan is (apparently) correctly pronounced as Erdowan. I picked this up over the w/end when reviewing videos reporting his walking out of Davos following Israel's assault on Gaza in 2009.