Brief but necessary ramblings:Russia has sold Syria’s sovereignty down the river. As the US long did.Both the US and Russia claim Syrian sovereignty is non negotiable. Both are lying. Would everyone feel better if I said- misleading? Russia jumped into the Syrian fracas to block a split, a complete split, or a balkanization. Pushing for some type of federated Syria instead of the US fracture. Speaking for myself, I wanted Syria to remain the nation that stole my heart. But, pretty much figured Russia was not going to save Syria in the way I’d hoped.We’re still looking at competing ideologies when it comes to Syria- Total balkanization vs some kind of loose federation. Much was made about Kerry and his plan B talk. Kerry’s plan B, or some version of it, was mentioned by Putin in his speech- I quoted and highlighted what he said in this post
Putin: “Russian and American troops will jointly delineate the territories where these groups are active”Delineate to trace the outline of; sketch or trace in outline; represent pictorially:outline or define. Is Syria being divided up? Putin's statement certainly suggests that.
Putin told everyone there is a plan to delineate Syria- He said it himself. Kerry’s plan B is a partition. The devil may be in the details. The details are yet to come. But, as I've stated already it seems Putin is talking provinces or states under a central government- Kerry is advocating multiple separate states each with their own government.PutinRussia/YPG/PKKRussia has certainly got some sort of agreement or cooperation with the YPG/PKK. However, it is not as broad, expansive or all encompassing as the deal with the US and Israel. Perhaps, it’s a ‘foot in the door’? That said Russia has to walk a fine line with the PKK terrorists because Russia has good relations with Iran. I don’t think they would wish to jeopardize that beneficial partnership.And Iran does have a problem with the Kurdish terror crowd. We’ll certainly be hearing more about that in the near future. When Khorosan or an affiliate of Khorosan rears it’s terrorist head. Yup, Khorasan. It will happen. Of that, you can be sure.Background gotten through, I’m going to post sections of a rather large article from: “The National Interest” Vladimir Putin, Godfather of Kurdistan? Worth reading entirely
“Meanwhile, inside Syria, the PYD’s armed wing has been using Russian arms and Russian air support to aggressively expand the amount of territory it controls along the Syrian-Turkish border. Ankara is alarmed, and rightly so. Despite possessing its own acronym, the PYD is a subsidiary of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistane), or PKK, which is currently intensifying the insurgency it is waging in Turkey’s southeast. There, PKK activists have declared Kurdish self-rule and PKK fighters are holing up in cities, digging trenches and taking on Turkish security forces with everything from snipers and rocket propelled grenades to improvised explosive devices”
I’m not sure about the “Russian arms’ claim- Every Kalashnikov is not necessarily a Russian made arm. I will agree with the use of Russian air cover- Happenstance or not, the PKK terrorists are benefiting from those airstrikes
“Erdogan has declared his determination to crush the PKK, but no one should hold their breath: the Turkish Republic has been trying to vanquish the PKK for over three decades. Yet the PKK has perhaps never been so robust and well positioned, militarily and diplomatically, as it is now. Exploiting the collapse of central state control in Iraq and Syria, the PKK built its headquarters in the secure Qandil Mountains of northern Iraq a decade and a half ago. More recently, it established, via the PYD, the de facto autonomous governorate of Rojava in northern Syria. Now it is again waging a burgeoning insurgency inside Turkey’s southeast”
My, my, my doesn't the PKK sound just like ISIS? Exploiting the collapse of the central government in Iraq and Syria?? The PKK is very robust present day because it’s supported by NATO. And has been for some time in my opinion. Long used to keep Turkey off balance and in line. Enriched with money from drug smuggling and extortion. The PKK has what it takes to push forward, on the ground, the US/Israeli agenda of remaking the ME. And that includes ending the ceasefire with Turkey and pushing forward it's insurgency inside Turkey.
“Perhaps most significant is that the PKK’s contribution to the fight against ISIS has won it unprecedented international legitimacy. Whereas in 1997 Washington formally declared the PKK a terrorist organization, and was followed in this designation by the European Parliament, today, U.S. Special Forces are training and arming the PPK’s subsidiary inside Syria. Washington justifies such collaboration with the fiction that the PYD is separate from the PKK, but efforts are under way in both the United States and Europe to remove the terrorist label. If those efforts succeed, they will yield a major boon to the PKK.”
Blah, blah, fight against ISIS- Theatre. Bad theatre. Here is the most important part. The destruction of Iraq and Syria. The utter betrayal of a long standing NATO ally, Turkey. Goes to show their is no allegiance (loyalty) in NATO. To create Kurdistan/2nd Israel, the newest NATO terror state ala Israel & Kosovo- You have to legitimize your terrorists. And you do that with a rebrand and a new PR campaign. Hope you read that above, cause, I’m repeating it below so it sinks in.“Washington justifies such collaboration with the fiction that the PYD is separate from the PKK, but efforts are under way in both the United States and Europe to remove the terrorist label. If those efforts succeed, they will yield a major boon to the PKK.”That’s right the PKK will be terrorists no more- It’s as simple as rebranding the product.Related: Patrick Cockburn: Connects PYD to PKK-I’ve talked about the USSR and their Kurdish relationship previously- It was mentioned in a PDF I had linked here way back: The Kurdish Minority Problem:We can see a bit of history repeating when we browse that document and read this NI article in full though the article doesn’t deliver any real proof of Russian/ Kurdish collusion, though I think it does exist, present day.I also come away with the idea that the TNI piece is written to take the heat off of the US in it’s collusion with the PKK. That's definitely one idea I take away from reading it. TNI mentions the ideology of Ocalan, but states clearly the PKK was NOT a Soviet creation. I do not believe the PKK was a Soviet creation, myself. I see it along the lines of the Red Brigades in Italy- Created to mislead, while terrorizing the populace.-The Red Brigades was also supposed to be a leftist marxist organization. The PKK originates around the same time frame (1970 for RB, 1978 for PKK) and has the same flavour to it. The Red Brigades kept Italy and Italians terrorized. Even killing a Prime Minister. The PKK kept Turkey and Turks in line and terrorized. Possibly killing a Prime Minister? Who knows?
“A young Turkish Kurd named Abdullah Öcalan founded it in 1978, during the heyday of Soviet-backed national liberation movements. Although the PKK was not a Soviet creation, as its name indicated it was certainly in the Soviet ideological camp”
OcalanHyping the communist threat was something the CIA was very good at- It was very self serving for them to do so. Keeping that in mind. Let’s get back to the article from TNI
“This is not to suggest that a Russian push for Kurdish statehood is imminent. Self-interest has guided both sides in the Russian-Kurdish relationship. Moscow’s priority in Syria is to save Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and although Assad is now willing to recognize wide autonomy for Syria’s Kurds, he has not yet signaled a readiness to accept the secession of Rojava from Syria and the redrawing of Syria’s borders. Another brake on any rush to recognize a fully sovereign Kurdish state would be Iranian opposition. Iran is an essential partner for Russia in Syria. It is only thanks to Iran’s far larger military commitment to the Assad regime that Russia’s effort to prop up Assad can succeed. Iran faces its own violent Kurdish insurgency, one led by another PKK subsidiary, PJAK, and has no desire to see an independent Kurdistan. Indeed, prior to the outbreak of the Syrian civil war Turkish-Iranian relations were amicable, thanks in large part to a common animus toward the PKK and PJAK”
I don’t hold the opinion a Russian push for Kurdish statehood is imminent or realistic.I do believe a US/Israel push for Kurdish statehood is on. The highlighted sentence implies the difference between Russian and US ideas for Syria.
“Still, the proven ability of the PKK over the course of more than three decades not merely to defy efforts by Turkey and others to suppress it, but to emerge as a regional player, guarantees that the question of Kurdish self-determination will remain high on the regional agenda. Whether or not the PKK’s ascent is a good thing for Kurds is not as clear as it might appear. The PKK is a supremely disciplined and hierarchical organization, and is neither liberal nor democratic. It does not command anywhere near unanimous support even among Turkey’s Kurds, and it poses a mortal threat to the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq, with which it has irreconcilable visions of the Kurds’ future”
Success in achieving self-determination rarely comes without assistance from an outside power.
And admission by TNI that there was lots and lots of assistance from an outside power for the PKK- I've already made very clear to readers here where I see that assistance emanating from. The PKK have had help aplenty from outside powers- Keep in mind this article’ headline is Vladimir Putin- GODFATHER to the Kurdish State- That should immediately tell you some other entities will have to give birth to the Kurdish state first- The parents would be the US and Israel.The last two paragraphs of the article below:
“Russia’s Kurdish play should also shake up Washington. American policymakers’ willful misreading of Russian interests and persistent underestimation of Russian capabilities has allowed Russia to successfully blindside U.S. policymakers in Georgia, Ukraine and now Syria. It is no secret that Putin seeks the disruption of American alliances and aspires to weaken the NATO alliance. American partnership with the PYD has introduced severe tension into relations with Turkey. There is no mystery why. The PYD’s parent organization is seeking through violence to change the political order in Turkey, and the PYD’s success in Syria will aid the PKK immeasurably. The war with the PKK has claimed an estimated forty thousand lives over the past three decades, and it will claim more. There has been considerable angst in Turkey that U.S.-supplied arms will be employed not against ISIS but against targets inside Turkey, whether civilian or military. Brett McGurk’s visit in February to PYD-controlled territory in Syria prompted Erdogan to ask angrily and openly whether the United States was on Turkey’s side or that of the PYD. Many Americans, of course, have posed precisely the same question about Turkey’s past policy toward ISIS.(Turkey’s policy toward ISIS- lol- Official narrative gibberish)
Brett McGurk's visit covered in this post: US Envoy/NATO visit to Annexed Syria- Turkey under fire- PKK warns Barzani....McGurk
These are signs of a painfully fragile relationship. Among other lessons, what Americans needs to take away from Russia’s Kurdish play is that they are not the only game in town, and that their leverage over the Kurds is limited. The Kurds have options, and in Russia, the PYD and PKK see a patron with extensive experience—and without the best interests of the United States at heart”
No Russian role was every necessary. No Russian role needed. - So I find these last two paragraphs a bit melodramatic. America partnered with the PKK knowing full well it would cause trouble with Turkey. And they wanted that trouble. Russia stepped in late in the game to get their piece of the pie. To maintain some influence in that neck of the woods- I have long written that the US is destabilizing Turkey with an eye to balkanization. That view was voiced here long before many others who are now talking about Erdogan being overthrown started making their rounds. Originating theory posts:
- November 2014: Kurd/ ISIS Symbiosis- The impending destruction of Turkey.
- November 2014: Pt.2- Kurd/ ISIS Symbiosis- The impending destruction of Turkey
- Two follow ups on the subject:
- July 2015: NATO Bows Out on Turkey. Turkey and Article 4
- November 2015: Carving Turkey After a NATO Roasting- Claims vs Reality
That's pretty much how I'm seeing this situation, at this time- Thanks for reading