Iraq needs to be broken up, say Kurdish leaders

By: David Pugliese, Defence Watch 

It looks like Kurdish officials didn’t receive the memo from Global Affairs Canada…the one about Canada’s support for the Kurds being part of supporting a unified Iraq.  The Kurds, being armed and trained by the Canadian Forces, are instead pushing to break away from Iraq. They cite Quebec separatists as a role model. The Canadian military is well aware of the Kurdish push for separation.

But Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jon Vance suggests it’s none of Canada’s concern what will happen in Iraq once the Islamic State is defeated. Some Canadian diplomats, however, have warned that Canada’s arming and training the Kurds will lead to more problems down the road.

Tensions are increasing and Kurdish forces have clashed with forces loyal to the central government in Baghdad.

But Kurdish officials have said that Iraq is finished as a state.

Masrour Barzani, the Chancellor of Kurdistan Region Security Council, recently stated in an interview with Reuters news agency that the level of mistrust among various groups in Iraq – the Kurds, Sunnis and Shi’ites – is such that they should not remain “under one roof”.

“Federation hasn’t worked, so it has to be either confederation or full separation,” Barzani said. “If we have three confederated states, we will have three equal capitals, so one will not be above the other.”

Barzani’s father, Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani, has called for a referendum this fall aiming for complete independence.

Added Commentary:

This is not the first time the break-up of Iraq has been suggested. It has actually be studied in-depth for years. One particular study calls for 3 new states to be carved out of Iraq. Kurdistan, Sunni Iraq, and the Arab Shia State, with Baghdad becoming a City State similar to Vatican City.  It can be read here.

Even CNN as recently as 2014 ran a column supporting the idea of dividing Iraq into three states.

Only time will tell; Iraq will remain unified to defeat ISIS, but it seems more and more that as the Kurdsish Peshmerga continue to claim territory, they admit that they will not cede it to Iraqi forces.