“The Kurds are one of the largest ethnic groups in the world that has never had a nation in contemporary times,” Bolton explained. “Just two days ago, they held a referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan and voted well over 90 percent for independence. I think the United States should support independence for the Kurds. They’ve been friends of ours in the struggle against Saddam Hussein and the struggle against international terrorism. I think they’d be an important buffer against Iran.”
“And let’s face it: the state of Iraq as we have known it doesn’t exist anymore, and it’s not coming back together,” he added. “The Baghdad government is controlled by the ayatollahs from Tehran. The American strategy to defeat ISIS, which has relied so heavily on the Baghdad government, I think has been a mistake.”
More at: Bolton: U.S. Should Support Independence for Kurds, ?State of Iraq as We Have Known It Doesn?t Exist Anymore?
Interesting take on Iraq by Bolton, an independent Kurdish state makes sense though I doubt it could work under US supervision; clueless/naive politicians that make critical decisions over lunch and crossed fingers rarely get much right.
Would piss off everyone else in the region, esp Iran and the Turks, but of all the factions/groups/governments in the stew only the Kurds could be trusted, which may be why the black guy refused to give them the same courtesy he gave to his 'friendly' Islamists.
New but lesser problems if an independent Kurdistan evolves into an overt puppet state, but the oil rich state would allow preferential continuity of supply, as the man said a buffer, and would also infect one small part of that vast territory with relative stability.
And I agree that Iran and its proxies must eventually be addressed, otherwise it all goes tits up.