Establishing Kurdish state would serve U.S. interests: analyst

According to Turkish political analyst Mahmut Bozarslan, U.S. Special envoy to the anti-IS coalition Brett McGurk’s statement that Washington was against the referendum of Kurdistan Region and its independence from iarq was of a temporary nature and did not reflect the actual political situation because the establishment of a Kurdish state in the north of Iraq serves the interests of the U.S.

“I can’t say that remark changed the balance of power in the region. I’ve talked to some Kurdish senior officials. According to them, Washington is not against the referendum and the statement [by special envoy McGurk] was of a temporary nature and served some immediate interests at the time,” Bozarslan told Sputnik Turkey.

Commenting on Washington’s concerns, the expert pointed out that the US fears that if the Kurds establish an independent state the rest of Iraq would fall under the influence of Iran.

“I guess this was the main reason behind McGurk’s remarks. Taking into account the current situation in the Middle East, the US needs Kurds. So, I don’t think Washington is against the referendum. The US has invested a lot in the Kurds, including military and political support. Possibly, that statement also related to Washington’s strategy on Turkey,” Bozarslan said.

According to Bozarslan, establishing a sovereign Kurdish state would serve Washington’s long-run plans for the Middle East.

“The US signals that its wants Iraq to be a federative state, but in fact Washington would prefer an independent Kurdish state over the weakened and politically unstable Iraq. Moreover, such a scenario would comply with Washington’s plan in the Middle East in the long run,” he suggested.

Commenting further, Bozarslan said that currently the situation in the Middle East is highly unstable and the US may be concerned over the possible risk of a Kurdish-Arab conflict if the referendum takes place.

“This may be another reason behind McGurk’s remark. On the other hand, I think that despite such serious concerns the US will not oppose the vote,” the expert said.

In conclusion, Bozarslan assumed that if the referendum takes place its result would have an immediate effect on the Kurdish problem in Syria.

“Despite the fact that Damascus is focused on its domestic issues, the upcoming referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan is a matter of concern. If Kurds establish an independent state in Iraq this would immediately echo in Rojava [a de facto autonomous Kurdish region in northern Syria],” Bozarslan said.