Israeli Expert: International community will be forced to choose between Kurdistan and Jihadistan.

Israeli Expert: International community will be forced to choose between Kurdistan and Jihadistan. (BasNews).

Professor Ofra Bengio, head of the Kurdish Studies program at the Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University, in an exclusive interview with BasNews, talked about American and Israeli stances on Kurdish independence, why Turkey has changed its policy toward Iraqi Kurdistan and how independent Kurdistan can contribute to the stability and prosperity of the Middle East. Bengio is also the author of “The Kurds of Iraq: Building a State within a State” and editor of the forthcoming “Kurdish Awakening: Nation-Building in a Fragmented Homeland”.

BasNews: Why does the United States abstain from supporting the independence of Kurdistan and think that the unity of the Iraqi state should be protected? Do you think this kind of foreign policy of the US will benefit its interests in the Middle East in the long run?

Ofra Bengio: There are different explanations for the American stance on Kurdish independence, which do not necessarily contradict each other.

First, the US does not want to be blamed of causing the disintegration of Iraq, especially after the 2003 war and its pretensions to bring peace, security and democracy for post Saddam Iraq. 

Second, it believes that support to an independent Kurdistan will antagonize the Arab world and Turkey and cause backlash against the United States. 

Third, the US continues making mistakes, not just with regards to the Kurds, but also in the entire region. If the US continues to support the elusive target of Iraqi unity it might lose on different grounds, especially considering the possibility that the Kurds could easily turn to Russia for support.

BasNews: The spokesman for Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) said that Ankara is ready to accept an independent Kurdish state in Iraqi Kurdistan. What are the political and economic reasons that make Turkey support an independent Kurdistan in Iraq? And how might this support affect the dynamics of the Middle East in general?

Ofra Bengio: The change in the Turkish stance on Kurdish independence has been in the making for some time now. The causes for the change are economic, political and strategic. The last straw that changed the balance in favor of a Kurdish state was the double danger emanating from Iraq, namely its turning into a Shi`istan and Jihadistan both of which threaten the security and social fabric of Turkish society. Thus, a Kurdish state can be a buffer to these dangers. Turkey also hopes that a Kurdish state in its neighborhood will help contain its own Kurds. On the regional level Turkey’s support to a Kurdish state might increase the competition between itself and Iran on the sphere of influence in what used to be a unified Iraq. Some states in the Arab world might follow suit. Others might not like the idea of independent Kurdistan but will do nothing to stop it.

BasNews: Iraqi Kurdistan is very close to declaring independence. Many governments in the international community are increasingly showing their support for Kurdish statehood. In your opinion, how can the existence of a progressive, pro-Western and diverse Kurdistan contribute to the stability and prosperity of the Middle East?

Ofra Bengio: In the past, conventional wisdom had it that an independent Kurdistan will cause instability to the region. But the experience of the last decade has proved the fallacy of this assumption. In fact, the stability and security of the KRG has attracted many world companies and countries to do business with Kurdistan. The international community can now compare the many dangers emanating from the ISIS and its formation of the Islamic caliphate with that of the Kurdish region in Iraq. This development will force it to choose between Kurdistan and Jihadistan. Another important point is that the export of Kurdish oil through Turkey and with its support may contain the danger of oil crisis, which might develop because of the war in Iraq.

BasNews: What reactions we can expect from Israel with regards to the recent developments in Kurdistan and the possibility of Kurdish independence?

Ofra Bengio: Israel has already declared its support to an independent Kurdistan. The three most important Israeli personalities have come out openly on this issue, namely Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres and Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman. Should the Kurds declare independence, Israel would be one of the first states that will recognize it.