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What the Kurds Want
(Wall Street Journal) - Barham Salih The new Iraqi state should have clearly limited powers. Those who want a strong executive presidency show no understanding of either Iraq or the Middle East. Justice demands that we reverse ethnic cleansing. The Arabization of Iraqi Kurdistan, the settlement program that few have ever heard of, began 40 years ago, before the long tyranny of the Baath party. Over 600,000 persons in Iraqi Kurdistan, mostly Kurds, but also Turkomens and Assyrian Christians, are internally displaced. All reversals of ethnic cleansing must be conducted lawfully: Iraqis have had enough violence and summary justice. The Arab settlers who were used to colonize Khanaqin, Sinjar, and Kirkuk must be treated fairly. Barham Salih is prime minister of the Kurdistan regional government of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.