Photo from NPR
President Donald Trump has told the Turkish government that he will cut off aid, mostly weapons, to the Kurds, also known as the YPG, who have been fighting ISIS on the front lines. While the United States view the Kurds and the militias as valuable in the fight against ISIS, the Turkish government views them as terrorists (especially the PKK within its own country) and a possible threat towards Turkey, as Kurds make up between 15 to 20% of the population.
This is likely done as a way to better restore relations with Turkey, as the United States have been at odds and arguing with Turkey about how to deal with ISIS. For the Kurds, who have been seeking an independent/sovereign state and further recognition from the international community, it is a huge blow, as they have been relied upon by the United States as main ground troops in Iraq and Syria in the fight against ISIS.
What do you think of this decision, as it came as a surprise change in US policy? Do you think it was the right move?
Links:
Washington Post
BBC
NPR
3 comments:
I think this all hinges on whether you believe the Kurds ought to be independent. They have fought for their independence, not just as a terrorist organization, so the designation as a terrorist organization by some countries in the middle east seems inappropriate in my eyes. They only seek to establish independence for themselves as they see themselves as separate from the countries they inhabit. I think it isn't unreasonable for them to want independence, and after being the US's ally in fighting ISIS on the ground, they deserve better than our sudden change in policy towards them. I think this also might breed anti-US sentiment among the Kurds, which, as history has taught us, never turns out well.
I agree. I think that the US was not right in cutting off the aid we had been giving to the Kurds. I also think that cutting off the military supplies to the Kurds will cause problems for minorities in the Middle East. When the US was supplying the Kurds with weapons, they were more able to protect minorities like Christians and Yazidis from ISIS since the Kurds tend to be more moderate. Like Gabriel said, this sudden policy change will not only affect the Kurds who deserve independence, but it will also negatively affect the Kurds' attitudes toward America, as well as the Kurds' ability to protect the minorities.
The US is in a tough position in relation to the Kurds as practically all of the surrounding nations that have partial Kurdish populations consider them part of the problem and close to a terrorist group when, for the most part, all they partake in is conventional small arms combat. With the Iraqi government practically overtaking all of the oil fields around their largest city, it makes sense why the US would not want to back a developing state that has little to no control over their own borders. The Kurd's sole profitable enterprise is oil drilling which has practically been swiped out from under them in the latest Iraqi-Kurdish War which began in late October. It was the right move although it may come as a surprise to some.
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