As is the case in Iraq, a fighting force called the Peshmerga defend Rojava, the name of the Kurdish portion of Syria. – where people of various religions and cultures had once found a welcoming, non-discriminating home. Unlike Iraqi Kurdistan, however, Rojava does not have a cordial, lucrative relationship with the Turkish government. Royava ‘s relationship with the Internationally designated terrorist group PKK, a Marxist, Kurdish group originating in Turkey, has led to a lack of military support and equipment by the Turks and their NATO allies, fearing such weaponry could fall into PKK hands. The ubiquitous sights of Peshmerga soldier’s fresh graves serve as constant reminders of the price Syrian Kurds have paid to short-handedly defend their homeland.
The Kurdish PKK party is correctly labeled terrorists, in the sense that PKK operatives committed terroristic offences against the Turkish Government and civilians. Currently in a cease-fire with Turkey, the PKK’s more Leninist atrocities came to a conclusion – more or less- with the 1999 capture of jailed PKK leader Abudla Ocalan. Since 2013, currently in a standing cease fire, PKK/ Turkish conflicts have dropped sharply. Currently based in the mountains of northern Iraq, the PKK has even become one of the most successful forces against the Islamic State, assisting in the Syrian fight for the last 3 years and significantly contributing to the rescue of the Yazzidi people of Iraq.
PKK assistance, though essential to the survival of the Syrian Kurds, has caused the normally expulsive international community to be extraordinarily cautious about supplying heavy weaponry to the Syrian Peshmerga. The PKK’s conflict with Turkey – which is often justified by the extraordinary lengths the Turkish government has gone through to erase the Kurd’s existence – caused the United States, NATO, and the EU to label the Marxist revolutionaries terrorists. The unceasing, non-progressing Turkey/Kurd conflict eventually made both sides seek more peaceful methods of accomplishing their respective goals, but consequences of the IS opprobrium in Syria have led to new tensions. In addition to refusing participation in military action against IS, Turkey has been hesitant to allow Turkish Kurds to aid their Syrian counterparts, and their recent refusal to allow PKK and other Turkish Kurds through the Turk/Syrian border resulted in enthused protests. Regardless of any historical strife between Kurdish and Turkish groups, over 100 thousand Kurds have already crossed into Turkey to escape the I.S; over 400 thousand might soon be on their way. This influx of Kurds could have tremendous consequences within Turkey.
Despite the tremendous loss of life and displacement near Kobani, the recent IS launched, chemical assault on Iraqi soldiers in Fulijia will likely cause more immediate consequences for Syria than any casualty count ever could. Within the same day that 300 Iraqi soldiers were killed by IS employed chlorine gas, the United States has begun striking IS revolutionary targets in Syria. Passionately opposed to the Assad regime, the Obama Administration has been hesitant to perform any action that would benefit the embattled Syrian president. The use of chemical weapons, with their massive potential for death, has finally forced the US to look past their efforts in the proxy-fueled Syrian revolution, only a year after proposing bombing the Syrian Government. The much needed air support will be vital in the efforts of moderate rebels and Kurds to vanquish IS from the once peaceful, religiously tolerant lands of Rojava.
A note to aspiring countries.
Myopic, often reactionary actions are the central behavioral trait of a declining society. America must now quell a proxy war it was vital in creating – while scraping every dime it can from both intentions. I pose to any hardened capitalist, can our American, capitalistically driven foreign policy lead to anything but the assorted cast of Middle Eastern, strong armed Dictators we claim to loath; the instability we present as crises; the deaths we feign to save? Using the philosophy of the Industrial revolution, western industry has attempted to maximize profits in their attempts to nation build- designing culturally unsympathetic, amoral, inclusive factories rather than founding democratic countries, and exchanging the harmony, long term stability, and wealth potential of other countries’ populations for the gains of a few.
The Kurds in Iraq, along with all other aspiring democracies, should watch how their capitalistic teachers have preformed in the Middle East Classroom. Although disharmony has led to the discovery of easily exploitable situations and more control over various economic markets for the world powers, the level of strain has seemingly reached a point where the affected peoples are returning to their religious or ethic roots – no longer caring for capitalist gains. The result of numerous, diverging proxy wars have threatened the foundation and safety of all people, and there will be no suspension of this destabilizing, war producing behavior in the future. To the countries that aspire to become the next great capitalistic power – is this moral bankruptcy and perpetual war profiteering truly what you desire?
P&G Global Research Initiative 