Free Kurdistan And The New Map Of The Middle East

I have blogged this map before. It was done up by someone in the Pentagon. The reason I am reproducing here is that this map, and the story that came with it, appeared in  Russian media reports about the Kurdish people and Kurdistan.

Much thought has gone into drawing this map. It is actually quite simple. The Sykes-Picot lines, the Durand Line (Afghan-Pak) and other such artificial boundaries will be replaced by a more ethnic and tribal delineation.

Free Kurdistan will have over 40 million Kurds living within its boundaries. 

Bottom line : the US and Israel want an independent Kurdish state. Israel sees the Kurdish people, who are Sunni but non Arabic, as a buffer between Israel and Shia Iran and Shia Iraq.  Also as a general buffer against the Arabs - both Sunni and Shia Arabs.

The Iranians (and the Turks, Syrians and Iraqis) do not want any Kurdish state on their soil because there are over 40 million Kurdish people in the Middle East who live on land that is contiguous and straddles the borders of these four countries.

Here is a map of the Kurdish inhabited lands.  As you can see this is a very bad recipe for Iran, Turkey, Iraq and Syria. A Kurdish homeland or state means loss of territory for them.

The Iraqi Kurds have been autonomous in one way or less than one way since 1970. Four months ago they held a referendum to declare independence. The referendum was succesful but they were immediately attacked by Shia Iran and the Shia majority Iraqi government. As a result of that attack, they have lost territory and half their oil revenues. So far the Iraqi Kurds (led by one most charismatic Barzani) have been muted in their response. But I do believe they will retaliate against the Iraqi government and Iran.

The same thing with the Kurds in Syria. The Syrian Kurds too want to declare independence but they are being attacked by non Arab, Sunni Turkey, Shia Syria and Shia Iraq. 

The Kurdish people as a nation have been warriors. Even their women are warriors in their Armies.  The great Muslim general and conqueror Saladin the Great (Salahuddin Al Ayyubi) who captured Jerusalem from the Crusaders was a Kurd.

The Middle East is tribal and ethnic. There will be no peace until the Middle East is properly divided along its tribal and ethnic lines. 

Unless the people there can overcome their tribal and ethnic differences - an option that does not suggest a beneficial yield in investment for everyone concerned in the far foreseeable future.