Iraqi Kurdistan's President Masoud Barzani resigns after Independence push backfired

[Arkain2K]

 

[abiG]

 

[hillelslovak87]

George W. blew a great opportunity to support this a decade or more ago imo. An independent Kurdistan seemed only a matter of time but we'd have had a better start with them if we'd helped them from the get go.

George HW also blew it with the Kurds. Our nation urging the Kurdish uprising in 1991, then failing to support them in any meaningful way is one of the worst foreign policy blunders of the last 50 years.

 

[CauseImbetta]

The Colonial British and French did that purposely when they drew the artificial lines to divide and conquer. It's well known.

 

[Islam Imamate]

George HW also blew it with the Kurds. Our nation urging the Kurdish uprising in 1991, then failing to support them in any meaningful way is one of the worst foreign policy blunders of the last 50 years.

Didn't we establish a no-fly zone over their regions?

 

[hillelslovak87]

Didn't we establish a no-fly zone over their regions?

I believe so. When Saddam starting destroying the Kurds we propped up, our leader stood by.

 

[Islam Imamate]

I believe so. When Saddam starting destroying the Kurds we propped up, our leader stood by.

Well, a no-fly zone is meaningful support and in the long run it did help them.

 

[InternetHero]

Let the Kurds be the Kurds with the added bonus of giving Iran the proverbial finger.

 

[hillelslovak87]

Well, a no-fly zone is meaningful support and in the long run it did help them.

It was nowhere near what our leaders knew was needed.

 

[InternetHero]

George HW also blew it with the Kurds. Our nation urging the Kurdish uprising in 1991, then failing to support them in any meaningful way is one of the worst foreign policy blunders of the last 50 years.

Yeah, the USA has a reputation of being kind of lame to our allies.

A lot of graves in Cambodia, Laos, and yes S. Vietnam (although more complicated) are partially filled by our lack of support and strength.

To be fair though in those instances, Maoist China deserves 80% of the credit as the grave digger, the USSR another 15%, and our inaction on our commitments a good 5%.

Kind of like ultimately while Bush let the Kurds down; Saddam was the monster all along, and dealing with those kind of restless destroyers is never simple business.

 

[InternetHero]

It was nowhere near what our leaders knew was needed.

If we gave them arms, a no fly zone, and limited military support that would be all well and good.

Would have been the right thing to do.

But Turkey, our... "friends..." the Saudi's, and Iran would all collectively have blamed us while other countries of diplomatic opportunity (France, Russia, China) would blame us for propagating war and a humanitarian crisis.

 

[Islam Imamate]

It was nowhere near what our leaders knew was needed.

I'd say it was enough. The NFZ ended up leading to Saddam's military withdrawal from most of Iraqi Kurdistan and they started to function autonomously after that.

What would you have preferred? The toppling of Saddam in 1991?

 

[hillelslovak87]

I'd say it was enough. The NFZ ended up leading to Saddam's military withdrawal from most of Iraqi Kurdistan and they started to function autonomously after that.

What would you have preferred? The toppling of Saddam in 1991?

Goerge HW Bush urged the Iraqi people to rebel post Gulf War. They started taking strategic points, yet when Saddam counter attacked, our forces, who held a massive amount of territory in the south, did nothing, while Saddam slaughtered Kurds, Shiites, and many other smaller groups. In the post war negotiations, our leaders negotiated a no fly zone, while conveniently not including Iraqi attack choppers as part of the agreement. They crushed the rebellions with these helicopters.

It seems quite likely that George HW Bush, fearing an encouragement of the Kurdish uprising in Turkey, allowed this to happen. Our leaders claimed Saddam had promised to use these attack choppers for post war humanitarian aid.

The no fly zone was after he had used his choppers to essentially crush the rebellions.

 

[Islam Imamate]

Goerge HW Bush urged the Iraqi people to rebel post Gulf War. They started taking strategic points, yet when Saddam counter attacked, our forces, who held a massive amount of territory in the south, did nothing, while Saddam slaughtered Kurds, Shiites, and many other smaller groups. In the post war negotiations, our leaders negotiated a no fly zone, while conveniently not including Iraqi attack choppers as part of the agreement. They crushed the rebellions with these helicopters.

It seems quite likely that George HW Bush, fearing an encouragement of the Kurdish uprising in Turkey, allowed this to happen. Our leaders claimed Saddam had promised to use these attack choppers for post war humanitarian aid.

The no fly zone was after he had used his choppers to essentially crush the rebellions.

You didn't answer my question, what would you have preferred? That we take out Saddam in 1991?

 

[Arkain2K]

Iraq steps up retaliation against Kurdish independence vote with dollar ban​

Iraq stopped selling dollars to leading banks in Kurdistan and banned foreign currency transfers to the autonomous region on Tuesday, stepping up its retaliation for the Kurds' independence vote.

The financial sanctions follow a ban on direct international air travel to the region imposed by the central government on Friday.

Iraq's central bank informed the Kurdistan Regional government (KRG) that it would stop selling dollars to four major Kurdish banks and stop all foreign currency transfers to the region, banking and government sources told Reuters.

Businesses in need of foreign currency and foreign workers in Kurdistan, whose pay and remittances are usually in dollars, will be the most affected by the new measures.

Business people and expatriates were also the most directly hit by the ban on international flights to the Kurdish airports of Erbil and Sulaimaniya. It forces them to travel via airports in Baghdad and southern Iraq, increasing cost and adding delay.

"The condition for ending the dollar sale prohibition is to have the Kurdish banks under the central bank's control," said an Iraqi official.

But a Kurdish official in the KRG capital Erbil said the region's banks already reported to the central bank in Baghdad, and the airports of the Kurdish region already reported to the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority.

Iraq's parliament on Tuesday said it had voted for financial sanctions which would "preserve the interests" of Kurdish citizens and target the Kurdish leadership.

The Shi'ite Arab-led Iraqi government has rejected an offer by the Kurdish government to discuss independence. It has demanded that it cancel the result of the Sept. 25 referendum or face continued sanctions, international isolation and possible military intervention.

The U.S. administration strengthened its alliance with Iraq's Kurds during the war on Islamic State, but is taking the side of Baghdad in the crisis in refusing to recognise the referendum.

Iraq's powerful neighbors Iran and Turkey are backing Baghdad, fearing the spread of separatism to their own Kurdish populations.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/03/ira...urdish-independence-vote-with-dollar-ban.html

 

[Deleted member 457759]

George HW also blew it with the Kurds. Our nation urging the Kurdish uprising in 1991, then failing to support them in any meaningful way is one of the worst foreign policy blunders of the last 50 years.

Yea didn't George HW use the Kurds against Saddam in the first Gulf war? And then left them to be butchered after they left?

Brutal.

 

[Undying Poster]

Yea didn't George HW use the Kurds against Saddam in the first Gulf war? And then left them to be butchered after they left?

Brutal.

Yeah, and were gonna do it again once ISIS and al-Qaeda are done in Syria, and let them be bombed by Russia/Turkey/SAA lol

 

[hillelslovak87]

Yea didn't George HW use the Kurds against Saddam in the first Gulf war? And then left them to be butchered after they left?

Brutal.

Yep, him and Kissinger urged them, supported them, then when Saddam hit back, we sat by.

 

[hillelslovak87]

You didn't answer my question, what would you have preferred? That we take out Saddam in 1991?

I would have settled for us supporting the Kurds when Saddam counterattacked.

 

[Deleted member 457759]

Yep, him and Kissinger urged them, supported them, then when Saddam hit back, we sat by.

The CIA left a lot of guys who worked with them this last Iraq war to be killed too. The got cooperation from people within Saddams regime, and then toe punted them when the was was going on.