That’s what Lawrence said of the Arabs. Kurds aren’t Arabs but… They couldn’t even make it to the referendum…
It was predictable that the Shia Arabs, having achieved power in the supposed government (and backed by their Iranian friends) would decide on some collective basis that they did not want to see a Kurdistan that even remotely resembled a sovereign entity.
As I have written before, there are very few examples of federal states being attempted in the Islamic World and even fewer of such projects succeeding. The culture just does not run in that direction. Federalism is thought of as weakness, division, indirection. "Ta’ifa" is a bad word in Arabic. It means "faction" and is inherently negative.
The state, like everything else, should take its model from religion. God is one…
When this is combined with the interests of regions and ethnic group, then the ability to resolve basic issues, like "who gets Kirkuk?" are made much more difficult.
The Bush Administration like to talk about Zarqawi’s "AQ in Iraq." AQ doesn’t have the problem of dealing with things like federalism . AQ is an absolutely monotheistic movement which aims to create a new Caliphate to rule over the Umma, the UNIFIED world of the believers. Of course they believe that we shaould ALL be "believers."
We have start dealing with the Islamic people within the reality that is their world view. So long as we continue to deal with them on the basis of our world view we will have disapppointments like this.
Pat Lang
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051002/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_politics
The UNIFIED world of the believers …
How does it propose to accomplish that?
“Ta’ifa” is a bad word in Arabic.
With good reason. By our/their pejoratives ye shall know us/them.
From what little I have read they seem to be as contentious as the the Irish. Wind them up and they fall to squabbling. Leave them alone and they fall to squabbling.
It is squabbling wot makes and keeps them smart.
I wonder what two generations of surfeit and TEEVEE would accomplish.
RJJ
They know they are anarchic. for that reason they idealize unity and have done so since the coming of Islam.
PL
Some old codger by the name of Odom writing about the deleterious effects of kool-aid addiction.
Must have got his SS check and opium supply in this morning, or something.
http://tinyurl.com/7af86
Geography must make that a necessity – on a micro- and meso- scale at least.
From here it looks as if communities are like islands – or boats/ships.
When there is nothing between you and the next village but a hundred miles of hostile terrain, uppity and/or disruptive behavior = doom.
Local leaders must be as jealous of their power as any Navy Diva.
[/conjecture]