“Don’t Sell Us Out”

An Iraqi Kurd writes an op-ed in today's Washington Post. Masrur Barzani, the director of the Intelligence and Security Agency of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq and a high-ranking member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, reminds Americans that they have been down this road before. They have risen up against the Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein because of promises by America, only to find themselves abandoned by "realists" like James Baker. He begs the US not to do it again.

IRBIL, Iraq — The Iraq Study Group's recommendations will accomplish nothing in Iraq. Its expressions of "gratitude" to those of us Iraqis who fought on the battlefield for freedom and liberty ring hollow. The report ignores our accomplishments, dreams and sacrifices in favor of a concern for those whose ultimate goal is the destruction of democracy.

Our federal constitution, which the majority of the Iraqi people voted for, is treated flippantly, as though it were a negotiable document rather than the hard-fought result of lengthy negotiation among those willing to participate in the new Iraq. Further, the study group's approach is driven by the concerns of the countries in this region rather than by the concerns of the Iraqi people.

Many Iraqis, especially the Kurds, are justifiably concerned about this. No one from the study group visited Iraqi Kurdistan, which the group admits is safe and pro-American, and where there has not been a single U.S. casualty since the war. Kurds not only fought alongside Americans but lost some of our best men to American friendly-fire incidents. Yet we staunchly support the work of the coalition and are eternally grateful for the sacrifices the American people have made for our future.

The report is right to acknowledge that part of the problem in Iraq is America's inability to distinguish friend from foe. Unfortunately, Baker-Hamilton fares even worse in this regard. This comes as little surprise, since it was partly written by those who orchestrated the saving of Saddam Hussein in 1991.

It is a powerful letter. The Kurds have, indeed, formed a very safe and strong autonomous region. Michael Totten has visited that area and was stunned at how normal - how suburban America - it looked. These are people who stood up beside the US when we called only to be abandoned. We must not do that to them again. More importantly, we must not do that to ourselves. The Iraq Study Group report is nothing more than an attempt to provide another "decent interval" between our withdrawal and the collapse and bloodshed that will result. The last time that happened was Vietnam. Henry Kissinger has his hand in the ISG report as well as the Vietnam "decent interval".