Success Story
Wonderful story out of Iraq. Of course, the Kurds love what we're doing. That's not a surprise, and it doesn't automatically translate into success in the rest of Iraq. But at the least it's a sign that a Muslim population can blossom alongside an American military occupation. And it raises two questions:
Why do these people matter less, to the war opponents, than the poor victimized Fallujans? It used to be that the Left redeemed itself from a lot of its shrillness and ignorance by being essentially, instinctively, on the side of the oppressed, or at least the real people. When I used to identify myself with that faction of the American scene, I felt that strongly. But now the Left has no interest in Kurds, because they've succeeded in part by allying themselves with the Americans. Just as the Hmong did before them.
Why the rush to give a state to the obviously dysfunctional Palestinians? How did they get in line ahead of the Kurds? Oh, I know, the United States don't really want to encourage an independent Kurdistan because that would break up Iraq and irritate Turkey. But why is the left so fixated on giving a state to a gang of terrorist leaders who have turned the few places they did control (Gaza City, for instance) into the toilet of the Middle East? Whereas the Kurds -- under much more severe pressure from Saddam than the Israelis put on the Palestinians, and with far less EU money flowing in -- have created in the last 13 years a thriving, democratic enclave.
Why do these people matter less, to the war opponents, than the poor victimized Fallujans? It used to be that the Left redeemed itself from a lot of its shrillness and ignorance by being essentially, instinctively, on the side of the oppressed, or at least the real people. When I used to identify myself with that faction of the American scene, I felt that strongly. But now the Left has no interest in Kurds, because they've succeeded in part by allying themselves with the Americans. Just as the Hmong did before them.
Why the rush to give a state to the obviously dysfunctional Palestinians? How did they get in line ahead of the Kurds? Oh, I know, the United States don't really want to encourage an independent Kurdistan because that would break up Iraq and irritate Turkey. But why is the left so fixated on giving a state to a gang of terrorist leaders who have turned the few places they did control (Gaza City, for instance) into the toilet of the Middle East? Whereas the Kurds -- under much more severe pressure from Saddam than the Israelis put on the Palestinians, and with far less EU money flowing in -- have created in the last 13 years a thriving, democratic enclave.
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