Ten years after the invasion of Iraq, people often criticize the absence of weapons of mass destruction, the loss of American lives, and the instability and endless sectarian violence it brought about. What many people do not realize is that for Iraqi Kurds, George W. Bush is a hero.
Despite Iraq’s current challenges, Bush’s invasion gave Iraqi Kurds the unprecedented ability to secure their rights and prosperity. As a result, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is now the safest and arguably most prosperous part of the country.
While other parts of Iraq suffer from brutal sectarian violence, the KRG has signed contracts with fifty international oil companies, which have invested over $10 billion in the region. Furthermore, oil companies in the KRG have recently made an agreement with Turkey to construct a pipeline which will supply it with 10 billion cubic meters of oil a year.
This development has been made possible by the ousting of Saddam and the creation of a new constitution that enshrines Kurdish rights. For the first time in modern history, Kurdish people have been able to freely participate in and benefit from inclusion in a state. As a result, the KRG willingly remains part of Iraq and uses its oil and gas revenue to benefit all Iraqis. This serves as a model of citizenship that provides a stark counterpoint to the treatment Kurds continue to receive in Turkey and Syria where their full rights continue to be denied.
These developments in Iraq fit within the larger context of a people whose rights have been denied for over one hundred years. Despite being one of the largest minority groups in the world, the Kurds were never given their own state after the breakup of the Ottoman Empire. The results of this have been cultural repression and conflict. For example, in the past, speaking Kurdish in Turkey was illegal and even today the use of the letter “w” can get a Kurd thrown in jail because it is not part of the Turkish alphabet. In Syria, many Kurds have been denied citizenship and are so heavily discriminated against that they have become a permanent underclass. The worst case of repression, however, was the genocidal Al-Anfal campaign – Saddam Hussein killed over 100,000 Iraqi Kurds.
Despite the violence of its past, Iraq is now home to the most accommodating regime for Kurds in the Middle East.
For the first time, Iraqi Kurds have been able to thrive and become one of the most prosperous parts of the country. This situation is not an accident. It is inherently tied to the invasion that made respect for Kurdish rights possible and, as we evaluate the war, this should not be overlooked.
Doucette is a senior majoring in history.
