There are two fundamental debates concerning a war with Iraq. The first deals with the rationale, the justification, the “is it the right thing to do?” The second debate looks beyond the war to what happens afterwards. What does Iraq become? What are the regional implications?
As the Bush administration moves closer to its moment of decision, the quarrel over the control of northern Iraq is fast becoming its next big problem. The Kurds who live there now are armed and ready to assist America. They expect their reward will be a land they can call their own, Kurdistan. The Turks who are currently being wooed to assist America have a different idea. Never, they say, will there be a Kurdistan. America’s caught courting two partners with irreconcilable expectations.
Guests:
Dr. Najmaldin Karim, President, Washington Kurdish Institute
Bulent Aliriza, Director, The Turkey Project for the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Peter Galbraith, Professor of National Security Studies, National War College.