Turkish Kurds observe as smoke rises after mortar shelling landed in the center of Kobani in Syria as fighting intensified between Syrian Kurds and the militants of Islamic State on Oct. 3. (Burhan Ozbilici, The Associated Press)
Re: “The promise of an independent Kurdish republic,” Oct. 4 guest commentary.
I couldn’t agree more with Jared Polis’ article about the Kurds. In short, they are the most talented, skilled and articulate people in the troubled Near East, and have been for some time. I’ve found that if you see a beautiful “Persian” rug today, it was probably woven by a Kurd.
The Kurds were within an hour of earning their independence in 1920 with the Treaty of Sèvres, when the British and French were carving irrational boundaries from that remnant of the Byzantine Empire after World War I (boundaries that haunt us today). They deserve our support for independence in an otherwise troubled region. It would mean that Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq would be forced to cede territory, but the Kurds are fully capable of restoring a modicum of peace in this currently irrational region.
Let the United States support an autonomous Kurdistan. The political rewards for the world would be bounteous.
Edward Connors, Denver
Submit your own letter to the editor via this form or check out our guidelines for how to submit by e-mail or mail.
