What is the value of fighting when the result is to trade one dictator for another? As of August 13th, 2015, one more president has conveniently assessed a scenario in which the only option is to remain in power. As with Caesar of old, war time instability, feigned fear over succession, and an unceasing desire to rule are the only perquisites for the transformation from president to emperor.
The latest emperor to emerge from the Middle East in named Masoud Barzani.
Masoud Barzani’s illegal reign as “president” is disastrous to both the population of Iraqi Kurdistan and the prospect of a united, independent Kurdistan. For those specific reasons, each and every Kurd needs to oppose the corrupt pawn of imperialists currently residing in a palace built by Saddam Hussein.
Great claims require great evidence, and to suggest Masoud Barazi in now an emperor – thus making Kurdistan a dictatorship – would certainly fall under the category of a great claim. In 2005, with the aim of unifying KDP and PUK factions, Kurdistan voted to give all power to the previous tribal authorities: the Barzanis and the Tallabanis. The result has been years of corruption and nepotism.
Corruption & Nepotism:
In 1991, the now autonomous Kurdish region revealed their first president, Masud Barzani. Thought by many to lead the region in a progressive, democratic way, Barazni quickly adopted the traits of any of the world’s countless dictators. Starting with nearly no personal wealth, the Barzani family would find themselves amassing a fortune of over $2 billion in under a decade alone.
Masud Barzani is still “president”, despite his term ending on August 13th, 2015. With a 2 term limit for presidents of the Kurdish region, the Barzani clan was able to maintain power by extending the second term by two years. Now almost a half year from that illegal deadline, no end to the Barzani reign in sight.
Nechirvan Barzani, the nephew of Emperor Barzani is prime minister. Barzani’s uncle, Hoshyar Zebari, was Iraq’s foreign minister and is now finance minister. Masud’s eldest son, Masrour Barzani, leads the intelligence service; and his second son Mansour is a general, as is Masud’s brother Wajy.
The favoritism shown in the government arena is only dwarfed by its existence in the private sector. If you had only one guess, which family would you bet ran the regional phone company? If you guessed the Barzanis, you sadly would be correct. More deplorable than the nepotism, the private company – with all proceeds going to the Barzani family – was purchased with public funds.
Creating a Noble Class:
The influx of capital gains that were acquired due to the Iraqi Kurdistan oil boom and the foreign investors now seeking to profit from the success did go into building up the Kurdish state. However, the poor were not to be assisted; rather, real estate prices went up to the point when the average citizen could no longer afford a home.
In 2006, the KRG opted to pass the Kurdistan Investment Law, which was meant to encourage investment in the region. Essentially, the law treats foreign and local investors equally. In the years that followed, 100,000 pieces of land have been sold to foreign investors in the capital city of Erbil.
The neighborhoods resemble American suburbia and even feature fanciful names, such as English Village, American Village, Dream City – and the quite appropriately named Royal City. Not surprisingly, the average cost of one of these homes is between US$300,000 – and US$600,000; the average public sector worker makes between US$4,000 and US$5,000. The new Erbil is not meant for the average Kurd.
When the U.N investigated the economic strength of Kurdistan, they were shocked to see massive decline in the quality of life for the average Kurd. Since 2005, 10,000 millionaires and 15 billionaires have emerged in Kurdistan, and yet the poverty rate in the KRG has increased from 3.8 percent to 8.1 percent. The region is now indebted to foreign banks for over US$18 billion dollars. Every Kurd should pay attention to the policies established in Greece after such debt was incurred.
Over the past decade, more than US$ 100 billion dollars has come into Kurdistan by foreign investors – this is just the declared income – yet the people are struggling like never before: thousands of the elderly have not received their pensions for the past few months; civil servants and teachers have not received payment for their work; most Kurds can’t even maintain their rented residences with skyrocketing rent.
The struggle has not been felt by the upper-class of the Kurdish population. Despite the need to create thousands of schools, hospitals, roads, and dams, hundreds of luxury hotels and skyscrapers have been erected. Barzani has built his kingdom atop the backs of his people, and now he seeks to keep them from soiling his pristine cities.
.
Response to criticism:
While atrocious behavior, favoritism, and even bribery/lobbying appear in many countries, the reaction to criticism ultimately defines a leader. Sardasht Osman found out what kind of leader Emperor Barzani is, and his tortured, bullet filled body serves as the 23 year old journalists final, most damning statement against the oppressive regime he spent his life fighting against. The young man was killed for merely writing a poem.
“If I become Massoud Barzani’s son-in-law, we would spend our honeymoon in Paris and also we would visit our uncle’s mansion in America. I would move my house from one of the poorest areas in Erbil to Sari Rash [Barzani’s palace complex] where it would be protected by American guard dogs and Israeli bodyguards,” reads an excerpt from Osman’s satirical piece.
Soran Mama-Hama, an investigative reporter, also found writing about Kurdish officials to be a fatal decision. Hama’s last story, “Prostitution Invades Kircuk,” detailed the journalist’s knowledge of the names of police brigadiers, many lieutenants, colonels, and many police and security officers involved in and covering up prostitution networks. The 23 year old journalist was shot to death in front of his parent’s home.
According to a joint report by the Kurdish Metro Center and the Denmark- based International Media Support Organization, 359 violations were committed against Kurdish Journalists – in only the last year.
If you study your history of European Feudalism, you would see every emperor, every royal family has their serfs. Iraqi Kuristan is no different. Despite the Barzani clan residing in homes throughout Europe and America, many workers in Kurdistan have not even been paid in months.
When thousands of people took to the streets of Sulaimani to urge Emperor Barzani to end his illegitimate, illegal reign, they were smothered by the KDP’s presence. 5 protesters were killed and scores more injured.
Summation of Part 1:
As proven by tyrannical behavior, massive corruption, suppression of criticism, abandoning the average Kurd, and illegally remaining “president,” Emperor Barzani is not capable of ruling over his people in Iraqi Kurdistan. However, part two will demonstrate that his policies are not only unsustainable but stand in direct opposition to the idea of a United Kurdistan. There can be no United Kurdistan while Barzani remains in power.
P&G Global Research Initiative 