In deciding who I was going to support for President it came down to Senator Brownback and Governor Huckabee. They largely shall the same outlook on matters that I deem important. However of the issues that swaayed me to Huckabee was when Senator Brownback starting saying "WE NEED TO Partition IRAQ". Basically divide it into three countries. I thought that bonkers and insane. First they have a freely elected Government so WE cannot do that. Second it is a bad idea. Third what in heavens name would our Nato ally Turkey think about that. They don't want a Independent Kurdistan right next door.
I thought From Burke to Kirk and Beyond... has a excellent but short post on this subject at Partition Iraq? Every time I hear a US politician talk about this I want to scream at the TV. It is such a non starter it is silly to bring up in my view. Iraq will divide up if Iraqis want it to happen.
SO far I am seeing quite a bit of senitiment from the Iraqis that they would lke to stay united thank you very much.
Perhaps I'm mistaken, but the partition plan didn't call for three separate countries. Rather it called for more of a confederacy between three states (think states in the Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi sense) divided to give each ethnic group a measure of autonomy. So we'd still have Iraq but the ethnic groups would have less reason to feel marginalized.
ReplyDeleteI think this plan would address some concerns that Tertium Quid expressed. That is, the partitions he named didn't work b/c it completely separated groups, and usually on arbitrary lines so that groups felt disenfranchised and began fighting to reclaim land. I can't see fighting being increased by this plan but I can see a lot of promise by granting these groups more rights.
I've yet to hear any other plan that actually proposes a way to improve the situation in Iraq. If the US starts to strongly suggest it, I think the Iraqis will willingly adopt it. I don't think the Iraqis have a whole lot of attachment to their current government and constitution.