(Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Col. (ret.) Dr. Jacques Neriah - Political groups from Syria's Kurdish minority have moved decisively to claim control of Kurdish-populated areas. Yet the Kurds have faced resistance from the jihadist groups Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. In response, the president of Iraqi Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani, threatened to intervene on behalf of Syrian Kurds. Iranian Kurds also announced that they were ready for battle. A "Greater Kurdistan" is no longer a remote possibility. This reality poses challenges for all of the states with large Kurdish populations: Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Iran. The writer was formerly Foreign Policy Advisor to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Deputy Head for Assessment of Israeli Military Intelligence.
2013-08-16 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive