By Sigrid Weidenweber
We all remember Bashar al-Assad’s poison gas attacks on the Kurdish population during President Obama’s governance. They were the poison killings, driving Obama to draw the famous red line, which al-Assad promptly crossed and poisoned some more. The world was aghast that such dastardly implements of war, forbidden by the Geneva Convention, were used by Assad to decimate the Kurds. One would think that the Kurdish people could never again align themselves with Assad the butcher. And yet….
The Kurds, a people deprived of a homeland of their own, had to contend with their overlords Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq for great parts of history. The old land of Kurdistan was divided through wars, loss of land, and bad treaties, the latest an unratified treaty by the British and their allies, into the modern sections of land in Southeastern Turkey, Northern Syria, Northern Iraq and Northeastern Iran. All of them are Muslim countries and one would think they should all get along. Not so! Culture, genetics and life-styles play a large role in the way people interact. Therefore, the Kurds have fought, mainly with Turkey, for a section of land with autonomy. For that understandable goal, they have been horribly persecuted by Erdogan and al-Assad.
The Kurds fought bravely alongside our soldiers to end the terrorism of Islamic State; or ISIL (Islamic State of the Levant), president Obama’s favorite term for the outcasts.
Now that President Trump removed our troops from the area, the Kurds are left in dire straits. Turkey immediately began to annex territory in Syria that had been freed of ISIL by the Kurds. I understand the president’s wish to spare our country an endless war, however, I believe that Turkey is not a partner with whom to treaty.
Indeed, Erdogan is so awful a treaty partner that the Kurds aligned themselves with the Assad regime for protection. That, in itself, is a partnership so fraught with doubts that one thinks that evil Assad must be better to live with than evil Islamist Erdogan.
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, Turkey already crossed the agreed-to peace lines and is advancing toward the town of Tal Amar. Russia is expected to take sides With Assad and the Kurds. Who would have thought to see cheering Kurdish faces in a WSJ’s picture, as the Syrian army arrives to keep Turkey from taking their village, Abou Rasayn.
However, war and politics make the strangest allies.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal.
Sigrid Weidenweber grew up in communist East Berlin, escaping it using a French passport. Ms. Weidenweber holds a degree in medical technology as well as psychology and has course work in Anthropology. She is co-founder of Aid for Afghans. Weidenweber has traveled the world and lived with Pakistani Muslims, learning about the culture and religion. She is a published author and lecturer. You can find her books on Amazon.com
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