I have taken a little time to delve into the history of ethnic conflict with Kurds in order to determine how true national unity could attain. I am not optimistic. Kurdish nationalism has been a sore spot for many nations ever since the end of WW I. The Kurds were promised their own homeland in the agreement that broke up the Ottoman Empire. However, that does not explain their treatment in Iraq. Since the 1920s, Iraqi governments that have represented pan- Arab interests have discriminated against Kurds as a means of denying the latter control of oil resources, especially in the area of Kirkuk. First, the government settled Iraqis to work in the oilfields. Second, the government displaced Kurds from rich farming lands, putting Arabs in their place. Third, the government has engaged in cultural policies designed to erase traces of Kurdish society: forcing individuals to Arabize (change names, language), changing the names on patrimony, resettling those who will not conform. Complicating the situation is the presence of Arabs who have benefitted from these policies, even if they have done nothing wrong, and the Kurds' history of complicity with enemy powers (especially Iran.) The Bush administration has not yet explained how such problems would be solved. They existed independently of the Hussein government. Kurdish grievances constitute the bulk of the accusations of human rights violations in Iraq. Again, I am not optimistic.

HRW on Kirkuk region