Author: Lepzerin » Fri Oct 12, 2012 2:03 am
kardox wrote:We are alone and have no friends, especially not Russia. Russia was never good toward Kurds and it still isn't. Just this
n the period between 1992-94 the population of the former Red Kurdistan region was forced to flee due to the Nagorno-Karabakh War. This autonomy was established by Lenin that was disbanded by Stalin who agreed to the Ataturk's request (the significant part of inhabitants of Red Kurdistan deported to the Middle Asia and Kazakhstan).[13] Red Kurdistan was not actually Kurdistan according to the Kurdish map and borders. Armenia has effectively occupied the former region Red Kurdistan as it is used as a crucial land corridor that connects Armenia with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
makes me dislike their politics even more.
Actually, for a long time the Soviet Union was interested in supporting Kurdish interests in the Middle East, though not in the Caucasus. Red Kurdistan's failures was more due to chauvinism from Armenians and particularly party chiefs in Azerbaijan more than those from Russia.
It was the Soviet Union whose backing made Mahabad possible, but at the same time its withdrawal doomed it. It was the Soviet Union that let Barzani and his fighters flee to their country, though they were savaged by the hatred of the Azerbaijani Party chief because of his closeness to Stalin and Beria, causing them to be scattered across the country if not die. But after their downfall, Kurds were educated in the Soviet Union, Barzani in particular received training. They could have refused entrance to Barzani in the first place- they had no reason to let him in- and if they didn't let him in, he may very well have been executed.
Radio Yerevan, through productions from Radio Moscow, were for a long time the only source of Kurdish music and programing for the whole middle-east (on Russian government money no less...), until our political groups made underground radio stations. This was particularly valuable to Kurds in North Kurdistan under Turkish oppression, who could if they were lucky and had a radio, listen to Kurdish on the radio! Even up in St. Petersburg (Leningrad then), the universities had studies opened up for Kurdish history, culture, and folklore- very valuable I think. You couldn't find this in the United States, and as far as what my dad told me, up to the 70s most Americans, if they ever heard of Kurds to begin with, knew them from late 19th century-early 20th century sensationalist news that painted Kurds as barbaric "Mohammadeans" that raped and pillaged Armenians. I'm not kidding about this, even the New York Times and Washington Post from those days when they mentioned Kurds was almost immediately followed by "barbarism".
The Soviets backstabbed Kurds when they decided to back Ba'ath in the end and were no longer worth using to apply pressure on the government, much as the Americans did in '75. Russians are no different from Americans though for Kurds, they always prefer a strong, unitary government in Baghdad over a Kurdish one, easier for oil companies purposes. Let us not forget Anfal either, Kurds being pounded on by Soviet weaponry bought with Arab loans backed by the US, or the connections the US had with the chemical weapons program that made anfal a tragedy. Kurds were only useful as a geostrategic pawn then, as we are unfortunately see now with the oil companies bidding for KRG's attention. With respect to Russian arms sales to Iraq they are not alone- US has done this too- remember Barzani's comments on the F16 purchases recently?
Kurds can't play favorites here, we can't pin ourselves down to Exxon Mobil any more than Gazprom. They need to be able to play these companies against one another and to put pressure on Maliki which the purpose is.
