A Self-Determination Fa çade: The Kurdish Referendum

On September 25, 2017,Iraqi Kurds voted in favor ofindependence from Iraq in a historic referendum. Out of the 3.3 million Kurds and non-Kurdswho voted, 92% voted in favor of independence, which is not surprising. The international community ’s reaction is also not surprising:Iraq, Turkey,Iran, Russia, France, and theUnited States were all against the referendum, cautioning the Kurdish leadership about theregional impact from various strategic angles. In its quest to secure more non-Arab allies,Israel is the only country that has backed the referendum. The international community ’s lack of support is seen ashypocritical by the Kurds, and may very well be. The United States in particular is wary of the creation of new states and their regional impact that tends to increase instability rather than reduce it, like in the case ofSouth Sudan. While discouraging a population from seeking self-determination is thorny —even illiberal—the Kurdish referendum has two important outcomes that should not, be ignored.First, the referendum has sent a dangerous mixed signal to other populations seeking independence and territorial sovereignty. Currently there are no administrative channels in place that will facilitate Kurdistan ’s secession from Iraq—and it certainly cannot be calledKexit in the same vain as Brexit, the nickname for the UK ’s vote to exit the EU. For example, Iraq still controls the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s (KRI) air space and immediately following the re...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs