January 01, 2007
In With The Not-So-New
2007 has arrived. I wish all of you health and happiness in the new year.
As we celebrate the dawning of another January, we learn that 3,000 American servicepersons have died in Iraq. It is a grim number, but one that brings with it a sobering reality: more military members have died in Iraq than Americans who died on September 11, 2001. This has been mentioned by several news outlets in the past few days, as if such a comparison is relevant.
It has always bothered me that the talking heads among us revel in reporting the latest round number from Iraq. Remember 1000? 2000? The zeroes brought large headlines, as if the 1,999th soldier, sailor, airmen or marine killed there was not quite as significant.
I hope that 2007 brings a beginning to the end of our large-scale involvement in Iraq. I use the term "large-scale" because I know that we will have a presence in Iraq for a generation, maybe longer. Personally, I believe that Iraq can not become a peaceful place as long as it remains one nation. The area that is today Iraq should actually be three nations: one for the Kurds, one for Shiites and one for Sunnis. The nation as it exists today was an artificial solution forced on the area by the British at the end of the First World War.
Of course, dividing a land into three parts would bring its own special problems, but at least there might be some feeling of nationalism among the nations' citizens. Now, such feelings do not seem to exist. Loyalty is to the mullah, or the clan and not to the government in Baghdad.
Moving on, I would like to put forward my predicitons for 2007:
1. The Web 2.0 rise in tech stocks will come to an end rather suddenly. It will not be the meltdown we saw in 2000, but it will be noteworthy.
2. On Mars, evidence will be discovered that will prove that life either currently exists on the planet or did exist in the past. If it's past life, it will be life not that different from what was here on Earth 10 million years ago.
3. North Korea will collapse from within, creating a humanitarian nightmare.
One final thing: I wonder how much my Cowardly Lion costume would fetch on eBay?
Posted by Matthew at January 1, 2007 12:30 AMTrackBack URL for this entry:
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I think it was mostly Ataturk and his brilliant ability to save the Turkish state that spelled doom for the Kurds and made a Kurdish state impossible, hence Kurdistan was split between the remaining non-Turkish French and British zones.
And if it hadn't been for the Saudis taking over Hejaz and the French behaviour before and in WW2, the entire thing would have been one big Arab country under Hashemite rule.
However, it's not too late. Here's my idea:
1. Get the EU to tell Turkey that they will never be an EU member with the Kurds. Kurds are not Europeans and Turkey should release Turkish-Kurdistan into independence.
2. Unite Turkish-Kurdistan and Iraqi-Kurdistan into one country.
3. Treat the Syrian part of Kurdistan as occupied territory. Mention the occupation whenever Syria says anything about Israel or Lebanon.
4. Form a Shia state in Iraq. Form a Sunni state in Iraq. Make Baghdad the capital of a federation between the two. (Two houses of parliament. Senate with equal votes, lower house with votes per population.)
5. Allow Kurdistan to join that federation of it so wishes.
6. Create a trade system that allows Kurdistan to trade with Europe via Turkey. In fact, give Turkey the chance to profit from its bridge function here.
7. IF Syria signs a peace treaty with Israel, do the following about the Golan:
a) If 67% of the non-Jewish inhabitants of Golan vote for becoming a part of Syria, Golan will become a part of Syria for ten years.
b) The Jews of Golan can either stay (and remain Israeli citizens living in Syria with special protection status) or leave (with Syria compensating them).
c) Ten years later the same people who voted in a) plus their offspring will vote again. If more than 50% vote to return to Israel, Golan will return to Israel for ever. Syrian settlers can either stay (and remain Syrian citizens living in Israel with special protection status) or leave (with Syria compensating them).
d) That will be the last election ever in which Jewish votes are not counted!
Posted by: Andrew Brehm at January 2, 2007 06:46 AMI think it was mostly Ataturk and his brilliant ability to save the Turkish state that spelled doom for the Kurds and made a Kurdish state impossible, hence Kurdistan was split between the remaining non-Turkish French and British zones.
And if it hadn't been for the Saudis taking over Hejaz and the French behaviour before and in WW2, the entire thing would have been one big Arab country under Hashemite rule.
However, it's not too late. Here's my idea:
1. Get the EU to tell Turkey that they will never be an EU member with the Kurds. Kurds are not Europeans and Turkey should release Turkish-Kurdistan into independence.
2. Unite Turkish-Kurdistan and Iraqi-Kurdistan into one country.
3. Treat the Syrian part of Kurdistan as occupied territory. Mention the occupation whenever Syria says anything about Israel or Lebanon.
4. Form a Shia state in Iraq. Form a Sunni state in Iraq. Make Baghdad the capital of a federation between the two. (Two houses of parliament. Senate with equal votes, lower house with votes per population.)
5. Allow Kurdistan to join that federation of it so wishes.
6. Create a trade system that allows Kurdistan to trade with Europe via Turkey. In fact, give Turkey the chance to profit from its bridge function here.
7. IF Syria signs a peace treaty with Israel, do the following about the Golan:
a) If 67% of the non-Jewish inhabitants of Golan vote for becoming a part of Syria, Golan will become a part of Syria for ten years.
b) The Jews of Golan can either stay (and remain Israeli citizens living in Syria with special protection status) or leave (with Syria compensating them).
c) Ten years later the same people who voted in a) plus their offspring will vote again. If more than 50% vote to return to Israel, Golan will return to Israel for ever. Syrian settlers can either stay (and remain Syrian citizens living in Israel with special protection status) or leave (with Syria compensating them).
d) That will be the last election ever in which Jewish votes are not counted!
Posted by: Andrew Brehm at January 2, 2007 06:47 AMWell put, Andrew. You've certainly given the issue some thought.
Posted by: Matt_D![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.opaquelucidity.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at January 2, 2007 01:02 PM