The ripple effects of the Iraq invasion

In the Feb. 24 editorial “Iraq on the brink,” you state: “Turkey, Syria, Iran and the U.S. could warn the Kurds against the delusion that an Iraqi civil war may bring about an independent Kurdistan.” I think the editorial is unaware of the meaning of delusion or national struggles of oppressed nations. If you read history, you will see that every national movement is considered a delusion by those who are part of the establishment and have the power. The Times is part of the establishment and cannot see that the independence of Kurdistan is just a matter of time.

For the first time, Kurds are not the victims. As sad observers of these tragic killings of Sunnis and Shiites by each other, Kurds hope that both sides put their conflict aside and unite as Arabs, then help divide the country into an Arab and Kurdish state, at least in the Iraqi part of Kurdistan for now. An independent Kurdistan is inevitable. Once independent, it would have the potential to be an intermediary between those who have divided Kurdistan or created these and other chaotic conditions in the Middle East.

KAMAL ARTIN

Irvine

Artin is a member of the Kurdish American Education Society and the Kurdish National Congress of North America.

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Although less biased than many viewpoints expressed in the Western media, the Feb. 24 editorial on Iraq is still hopelessly Western-oriented. The excerpt, “Iran’s leaders, in the midst of a nuclear confrontation with the West, could show their willingness to become responsible global citizens,” is biased. The American administration has chosen to bang the drums of war by imperiously chastising Iran for its nuclear program, despite the fact that the U.S. has set the example of using nuclear weapons as a deterrent or threat by building up the world’s largest nuclear arsenal. This is not the action of a “responsible global citizen.”

The U.S. did not criticize Israel for its development of nuclear weapons when no nuclear weapons threatened Israel. However, ever-escalating criticism and even veiled threats are aimed at Iran for its nuclear program, when Iran is potentially threatened by American, Israeli and Indian nuclear weapons. This is hypocrisy.

If the horror of civil war breaks out in Iraq (which could go on for years, bringing much more suffering and devastation than Saddam Hussein did), the world will judge the U.S. and its citizens as responsible.

MARILYN RICH

North Bay, Canada