The United States and the Kurds: Case Studies in United States Engagment
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N PS ARCHIVE 1997.12 LAMBERT, P. NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL Monterey, California THESIS THE UNITED STATES AND THE KURDS: CASE STUDIES IN UNITED STATES ENGAGMENT by Peter J. Lambert December, 1997 Thesis Advisor: Ralph Magnus Second Reader: Terry Johnson Thesis L25165 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. DUDLEY KNOX LIBRARY NAVAL POSTGRAD! 5 *TE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA 93943-5101 REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED December 1997 Master's Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS THE U.S. AND THE KURDS: CASE STUDIES IN U.S. ENGAGEMENT 6. AUTHOR(S) Lambert, Peter J. 8. PERFORMING 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) ORGANIZATION REPORT Naval Postgraduate School NUMBER Monterey, CA 93943-5000 9. SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING/ MONITORING AGENCY REPORT NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. 12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) The United States has developed a unique relationship with the Kurds throughout the course of the 20th century. Significant American engagement with the Kurds has been carried out twice this century, between 1969- 1975, and 1990-1996. Both eras saw the United States able to influence events relating to the Kurds in support of a larger regional policy, only to find no easy solution to the Kurdish quest for autonomy. The result of these two periods of American engagement for the Kurds has been similar; both settings marked the collapse of a de facto Kurdish autonomy and the consequential splintering of the Kurdish resistance. The United States faces a variety of issues in its dealings with the Kurds. Foremost is the issue of autonomy for the Kurdish nation, and its impact on the territorial integrity of the states of the region. Secondly, is the lack of Kurdish unity, and its impact on any American initiative regarding an end to the repression of the Kurds. The United States has the ability to move the primary countries with Kurdish populations in the direction necessary for a settlement of the Kurdish situation. The result of not pursuing this matter could lead to further turmoil in a region which can ill afford it. 14. TERMS SUBJECT 15. NUMBER OF Kurds, Kurdistan, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Israel, United States, Barzani, Talabani, Foreign Policy PAGES 129 16. PRICE CODE 18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF 20. LIMITATION 17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 19. SECURITY CLASSIFI- CATION THIS PAGE OF ABSTRACT OF REPORT OF ABSTRACT Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified UL NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) Prescribed by ANSI Std. 239-18 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited THE UNITED STATES AND THE KURDS: CASE STUDIES IN UNITED STATES ENGAGEMENT Peter J. Lambert Captain, United States Air Force B.A., Norwich University, 1988 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN NATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL December 1997 £/& KNOX LIBRARY DUDLEY school JSaval postgraduate MONTEREY CA 93943-5101 ABSTRACT The United States has developed a unique relationship with the Kurds throughout the course of the 20 century. Significant American engagement with the Kurds has been carried out twice this century, between 1969-1975, and 1990-1996. Both eras saw the United States able to influence events relating to the Kurds in support of a larger regional policy, only to find no easy solution to the Kurdish quest for autonomy. The result of these two periods of American engagement for the Kurds has been similar; both settings marked the collapse of a de facto Kurdish autonomy and the consequential splintering of the Kurdish resistance. The United States faces a variety of issues in its dealings with the Kurds. Foremost is the issue of autonomy for the Kurdish nation, and its impact on the territorial integrity of the states in the region. Secondly, is the lack of Kurdish unity, and its impact on any American initiative regarding an end to the regional repression of the Kurds. The United States has the ability to move the primary countries with Kurdish populations in the direction necessary for some sort of settlement of the Kurdish situation The result of not pursuing this matter could lead to further turmoil in a region which can ill-afford it. VI 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION 1 A. WOODROW WILSON AND THE FOURTEEN POINTS 3 B. THE KING-CRANE COMMISSION 8 C. THE PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE 9 D. ARMENIAN-KURDISH DECLARATION OF 1919 1 E. COMPETING KURDISH CLAIMS 12 F. THE TREATY OF SEVRES - 10 AUGUST 1920 14 G. THE RISE OF MUSTAFA KEMAL 17 H. THE TREATY OF LAUSANNE 22 I. THE MOSUL VILAYET 25 J. THE FRONTIER TREATY OF IRAQ AND TURKEY: 27 K. WORLD WAR II 29 L. THE MAHABAD REPUBLIC 31 II. CASE STUDY 1: 1969-1975 35 A. BACKGROUND OF U.S., ISRAELI, AND IRANIAN SUPPORT - PRE- 1969 35 B. KURDISH REVOLT OF 1969 40 C. PEACE OF 1970 45 D. UNEASY PEACE: 1971-1973 48 E. 1973 YOM KIPPUR WAR AND THE KURDS 53 F. THE ROAD TO CONFLICT, 1973-1974 54 G. 1975 - CONCLUSION OF FIGHTING 60 H. CONCLUSIONS 64 III. CASE STUDY II: 1990-1996 67 A. 1980S 67 B. IRAQI INVASION OF KUWAIT 69 vii C. THE KURDISH UPRISING OF 1991 71 D. UNITED STATES RESPONSE TO KURDISH DILEMMA 75 E. OPERATION PROVIDE COMFORT II 81 F. CREATION OF THE KURDISTAN REGIONAL GOVERNMENT 85 G. 1993 - YEAR OF STABILITY 89 H. INTRA-KURDISH CONFLICT 90 I. 1996 - YEAR OF UPHEAVAL 94 J. THE FALL OF CIA BACKED OPPOSITION 97 K. CONCLUSION 100 IV. CONCLUSIONS AND POLICY OPTIONS 101 A. POLICY OPTIONS REVIEWED AND CRITIQUED 101 1. Creation of a Kurdish State 102 2. Kurdistan as a Regional Non-state Actor 105 B. CONCLUSION 108 BIBLIOGRAPHY Ill INITIAL DISTRIBUTION LIST 115 Vlll EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The United States in its foreign policy has traditionally advocated the maintenance of the status quo, particularly with regards to respecting the territorial integrity of another nation. This has most recently been highlighted by American support for Kuwait after its invasion by Iraq. Therefore, this status quo approach should dictate that the United States should not encourage stateless nations such as the Kurds in their goal towards autonomy or independence. So why has the United States, in the timeframe covered by the case studies in this thesis, supported the Kurds, thereby creating de facto autonomy? To understand the present day dilemma of American policy towards the Kurds, one must look at the historical evolution of United States' policy vis-a-vis the Kurds in the context of American foreign policy towards the Middle East. Woodrow Wilson took the first steps towards American interests in the Middle East when he advocated his Fourteen Points at the Paris Peace Conference. His ideal of self-determination was picked up by the newly freed nations of the Ottoman Empire, particularly the Kurds and Armenians as justification for the creation of states for these stateless peoples. The Treaty of Sevres incorporated just this notion, only to be overturned by the political realities of a newly formed Turkish state, whose interests were opposed to the creation of a Kurdish state, particularly in Anatolia. In order for a peace to be secured in the region, the Great Powers, including the United States, appeased Turkey, and downgraded the Kurdish issue to one to be dealt with by the newly created states of the region, rather than as a Great Power issue. ix The period between 1969-1975 saw the United States re-emerge as a significant player regarding the Kurdish issue. The Nixon Doctrine supported the Shah of Iran and his quest to become the regional hegemon. In this regard, the Kurds were utilized via proxy, by Iran and Israel, as a tool to destabilize the Iraqi regime, whose growing friendship with the Soviet Union ran counter to American interests. Despite American pledges of support to the Kurds, the Shah's interests overrode support to the Kurds, resulting in their defeat by the Iraqi army. The period between 1990-1996 saw the conflict arise betwen the United States led coalition and Iraq, resulting in the establishment of a safe-haven for the Kurds in northern Iraq. The de facto establishment of autonomy within northern Iraq under the military umbrella of an American led multi-national task force in Turkey, gave rise to a democratically elected Kurdish parliament. However, Kurdish rivalries and regional state intervention overcame American attempts to maintain the peace, resulting in the invitation to the Iraqi army by a Kurdish faction to restore the status quo in Iraqi Kurdistan. The result was a collapse of American involvement, and the consequential evacuation of Kurds aligned with American governmental and non-governmental organizations.