"The Question of Kurdistan"

Yesterday's Sunday Tribune never arrived, which pissed me off at the time but turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Rather than read about the latest Illini football debacle or a mediocre book review section, I had the opportunity to read the latest issue of The Nation, cover to cover.

Christian Parenti wrote an excellent article, "The Question of Kurdistan", which indirectly calls into question whether there will ever truly be democracy in Iraq. Parenti's article describes a region which is rife with official corruption which is still largely ruled by feudal authorities. Clearly, Turkmen, Arabs and other minority groups who remain in Kurdistan (as either a semi-autonomous state or independent nation) will have little or no human rights under a Kurd-controlled government. And even individual Kurds themselves may find themselves powerless, particularly if they're on the wrong side of the KDP/PUK Kurdish political divide.

Presumably, the Bush junta already knew about this democracy-resistant sociopolitical climate when the decision was made to invade Iraq under the banner of spreading democracy. Presumably, they chose to ignore hard reality. Definitely and not just presumably, they erred.