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Democracy Chronicles

“The Kurds Were not in Normandy”: Distortion and Genocide in the Middle East

by Jack Jones - November 25, 2019

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“The Kurds Were not in Normandy”: Distortion and Genocide in the Middle East
Peshmerga soldiers prepare to conduct a combined arms live-fire exercise near Erbil, Iraq – Image source

Prior to holding the Office of President, Donald J. Trump was into business. He built a business empire in the real estate sector and made numerous investments outside America. One such country where he has a high rise building in his name is in Turkey.

In 2016 Trump became the nominee for the Republican Party often tagged the party of business. He went on to beat the candidate for the Democratic Party, Hilary Rodham Clinton, by a vote of the electoral college. Clinton won the popular vote.

Trump’s victory returned to power America’s business clique that counts the country’s arms manufacturers. It is against this backdrop that Trump ordered the withdrawal of support from the Kurds in Northern Syria, justifying the pull-out by stating that the Kurds were not present in Normandy during the Second World War (II).

The Kurds were the underdogs of the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres which granted independence to Iraq, Syria, and Kuwait but refusing the possibility of a Kurdish nation. Spread out between these countries and Turkey, the Kurds who hardly identify themselves as Arabs like the Sunnis and Shias do soon became an oppressed minority.

Sadam Hussein went as far as using chemical weapons against them in retaliation for their support for Iran in the Iran-Iraq war and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been bullying them. However, hard-won autonomy finally came for the Kurds in Iraq following Sadam Hussein’s ouster.

Since then, the Kurds have been very active in supporting America’s efforts against terrorism in the region. Long before this, however, the Kurds, had been valuable allies. Though they could not assist the allied forces during the Second World War in Germany, because largely impoverished in the mid-20th century and located far away from the troubles in Europe, they were very active in supporting the push back against Nazism in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. More recently, The Kurds provided much-needed ground boots while America executed airstrikes in the Syrian campaign.

Therefore, Trump’s claims of Kurdish absence in Normandy to justify withdrawing support from the Kurds serves other purposes. The Kurds have been an invaluable American ally for decades. As such, they are truly vindicated when they say we abandoned them. I am convinced that it is the interests of the American business class, at the head of which is America’s Head of State, that has taken over American politics in the Middle East once again.

Trump thinks America’s seventh President, Andrew Jackson, was a hero. President Andrew Jackson illegally tossed the Cherokee nation off their land and pursued them right into Oklahoma. He handed their land over to the slave owners in contravention to a Supreme Court ruling. The danger lies in the American public trailing the political class, to make excuses for the President when he makes similar mistakes or fields comparable indecorous practices as his model, President Andrew Jackson.

The Kurds are currently facing the threat of genocide as the Turkish and Syrian militaries benefit from US troop pull-out to pound the Kurdish forces. I think it is shameful that we abandoned our Kurdish allies because of the motives of dubious politicians. It is a matter of democratic duty that where Americans think that the President is fielding domestic and/or foreign policy that is improper, as I think is the case with the withdrawal of US support for the Kurds, that they take action to hold him accountable. Personally, I am of the opinion that Trump’s Middle East policy is one of many other lapses in his decision-making which justifies the on-going impeachment.

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Filed Under: DC Authors Tagged With: Iraq, Middle East, Syria, Turkey

About Jack Jones

Jack Jones writes for Democracy Chronicles from Chicago’s south suburbs where he grew up. He is a union electrician Local 134, certified minister from Berean University, AYSO board member and coach, basketball coach, Cub Scout leader, husband, father and social participant. Jack considers himself a gourmet junk food chef, political writer, musician and likes to contribute to the world around him. A former deacon and chaplain at Cook County Jail in Chicago, he feels that our out-of-control corporate, religious and political environment is to blame for many of the problems in the world today. Jack believes we need to get money out of politics and that the church should take care of people instead of trying to get hypocrites elected to public office.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Phil says

    November 26, 2019 at 3:04 pm

    We should be looking at Trump tower in Azerbaijan and who to whom Ivanka sold the condos . Keep on writing Jack.

    Reply
  2. Jack Jones says

    November 26, 2019 at 3:24 pm

    Thank you Phil , you’re a permanent member of the great guy club!!

    Reply
  3. Jack Jones says

    December 4, 2019 at 7:40 pm

    Thank you Adrian Tawfik and the editors at Democracy Chronicles!

    Reply

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