Polls have closed in Iraqi Kurdistan, and while there are a lot of questions about what’s going to happen next, one thing that’s not in serious doubt is the results. With some 78% of voters having gone to referendum, the final figures are still expected with 72 hours.
Early counts show what everyone suspected though, that it’s not going to be close. The first 300,000 votes, admittedly less than 10% of the count, showed 93.4% voting yes. A wide majority was always expected.
Iraqi Kurdistan has long sought independence, as has the rest of Kurdistan, which spans Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The part in Iraq, however, was very clear about having a vote as soon as the ISIS war was over, and they’ve been basically on their way out the door since.
The referendum was just an up and down vote on secession in general, but questions about the specific boundaries, especially after Kurdistan seized substantial new territory in the ISIS war, remain to be resolved.
The US always talks about how great it is to have elections. I wonder how much the US government likes this referendum.
It can’t survive without US backing.
Creation of Kurdistan has been a US/Israeli plan for decades.
Rothschild long-positioned to siphon the oil. http://ekurd.net/protest-nathaniel-rothschild-kurdistan-2017-08-28
It would be smart move of Assad if Syria were to recognise an independent Kurdistan, accepting it as an ally.
Another civil war in the making.
Let’s have the Palestinians vote for total secession from their Israel overlords.
So who are the good guys? In Donbass, the good guys are the DPR/LPR some 90% of whom voted for independence in 2014. I support the people of Donbass, and Russia tacitly supports them (at least to some extent), while America opposes them and calls them terrorists. Crimea is somewhat similar. But when it comes to the Kurds, the tables are turned. I support the Kurds, who deserve independence, but Russia opposes them and calls the Kurdish SDF terrorists, while America supports the SDF and Kurdish independence. The reason Russia opposes the Kurds, at least in Syria, is because Russia supports Assad (a good leader), and Assad demands territorial integrity (understandable even if wrong). But Ukraine regime leader Poroshenko, an evil war criminal, also demands territorial integrity for Ukraine (definitely wrong). What this means is, both Russia’s and America’s stances on self-determination are morally inconsistent. Both countries are for the people’s independence when it suits them, and against the people’s independence when that suits them. I for one support freedom and independence for the DPR/LPR, for the Kurds, and for the Tibetans as well, a tragically oppressed people now long forgotten!
Since Israel is supporting this, I’d expect defining borders to be near the bottom of the priorities list. I’d say that creating Kosovo 2.0 and Camp Bondsteel 2.0 out of a bunch of stubborn Kurds isn’t exactly the brightest of ideas. They’re like the hillbillies of the region. It’s just not going to work like the CIA and Mossad want it to. Turkey is already throwing a fit. I know kurds a little bit, and from what I know…using them up and throwing them under the bus will be disastrous.