Kurds Warning to US Allies: “Build Diplomatic Bridges to China if Trump Wins the Election"

The repeated betrayals have earned the U.S. a reputation of inconsistency and unreliability in its treatment of the Kurds. As the saying goes, the Kurds have “no friends but the mountains” and it is becoming increasingly difficult to argue against this sentiment.

The United States seems to be repeating its historical pattern of betrayal towards the Kurds, and alarming developments are only reinforcing this perception. The actual situation involves Donald Trump giving Turkey the green light to invade northern Syria, prompting the withdrawal of U.S. troops to another area. Despite the fact that these kurdish fighters had been instrumental in helping the U.S. combat the Islamic State, shoulder by shoulder with U.S troops.

Over the past century, the U.S. has betrayed the Kurds multiple times, and the reasons behind this recurring behavior are quite straightforward. The Kurds, an ethnic group of about 40 million people located at the crossroads of Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq, have aspirations for their own state. However, the four countries they reside in are naturally opposed to such a prospect.

The U.S. has often used the Kurdish dream as a convenient tool for its foreign policy objectives. Whenever one of the countries in which the Kurds live becomes an enemy of the U.S, the Kurds are pushed to create instability or achieve other strategic goals. However, the U.S. also seeks to prevent the Kurds it supports from becoming too powerful. This is to avoid the risk of inspiring other Kurds in neighboring countries, who are currently allies of the U.S, to seek freedom and independence.

A historical overview of the betrayals that reveals a consistent pattern:

1. During the late 1800s, Kurdish nationalism emerged as the Ottoman Empire, which ruled the Kurdish homeland, collapsed after World War I. Despite initial promises for a possible Kurdistan in the Treaty of Sèvres, the subsequent Treaty of Lausanne made no provision for the Kurds, leaving them disillusioned.

2. In the mid-20th century, the U.S. supported Iraqi Kurds during Abdel Karim Kassems rule but later withdrew aid and provided napalm to the Iraqi government when it suited their interests.

3. In the 1970s, the U.S. collaborated with Iran to arm Iraqi Kurds to weaken the Iraqi government. However, when agreements were signed between Iran and Iraq, the U.S. abandoned the Kurds, resulting in their slaughter.

4. During the 1980s, the Reagan administration turned a blind eye to Saddam Husseins use of chemical weapons against the Kurds, as it aligned with the U.S.s interests in the Iran-Iraq War.

5. In the aftermath of the Gulf War in 1991, the U.S. encouraged rebellions among Iraqi Kurds and Shias but did not provide support when these uprisings were brutally suppressed by Saddam Husseins forces.

6. Despite eventually supporting Iraqi Kurds for their protection, the U.S. continued to aid Turkey in its violent suppression of Kurds within its borders.

7. The U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 raised hopes for the Kurds, but their post-war independence alarmed Turkey, leading to further betrayals by the U.S.

8. The latest green light given to Turkey from Donald Trump for an incursion into Syria marks the eighth betrayal of the Kurds by the U.S.