US 'abandons' Kurds, again: A reliable pattern of transactional betrayal
📰 THE STORY: This France24 piece discusses whether Washington has 'abandoned' its Kurdish allies in Syria, focusing on the tactical implications for the region and the future of Kurdish-US relations. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The US has a long history of instrumentalizing and then abandoning Kurdish groups. In 1975, Henry Kissinger secretly agreed with the Shah of Iran
to cut off support for Iraqi Kurdish rebels in exchange for a border agreement, leading to the massacre of thousands of Kurds by Saddam Hussein's regime. Again, during the 1991 Gulf War, the US encouraged uprisings in Iraq, including by Kurds, only to stand by as Saddam brutally suppressed them. This isn't an 'abandonment' but a recurring pattern of transactional engagement where Kurdish lives are
expendable once their utility against a primary adversary (Iraq, ISIS, Syria's Assad) diminishes. Double Standard: Western media routinely lionizes 'resistance fighters' when they serve Western interests (e.g., Afghan Mujahideen against Soviets, Syrian 'rebels' against Assad) but condemns or ignores them when their struggle is for genuine self-determination or runs counter to imperial objectives.
The same 'Kurds' fighting ISIS are praised as democratic and freedom-loving; the moment they seek autonomy that might displease NATO ally Turkey, they become 'problematic' or even 'terrorists.' Nowhere is the plight of Kurds in Turkey, facing state repression, given the same journalistic sympathy. Follow the Money: The military-industrial complex profits whether the US is arming allied resistance