"What effect must it have on a nation if it learns no foreign languages? Probably much the same as that which a total withdrawal from society has upon an individual." --G.C. Lichtenberg
There's a lot to say about the future of the Kurds in Iraq, but for now I'd just like to point out that their welfare doesn't even factor into the equation. It's all about the inconvenience they might cause other countries. You can get a sense of this listening to Saudi Prince Faisal:
"Regimes founded on a confessional or ethnic basis do not help bring stability and territorial integrity to a country," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Faisal said Wednesday. "The danger of starting on the confessional and ethnic road will consequently partition Iraq, threatening our own security."
This is from a guy whose country, in an attempt to placate religious extremists (bring stability), allowed religious police the power to summarily punish any and all deviations from orthodox religious practice, even among unbelievers. There isn't a country in the world based more thoroughly on religion, nor one in which ethnic identity (Arab) is more central to the notion of citizenship.
Faced with bullshit like this from people who blissfully ignored decades of their suppression and degradation, the Kurds are right to be wary, and to use their current leverage for all it's worth. posted by David at 1/09/2004 10:05:00 AM ::
