Commentary
Yezid Sayigh
{
"authors": [
"Yezid Sayigh"
],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center",
"programAffiliation": "MEP",
"programs": [
"Middle East"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"Gulf",
"Israel",
"Iraq",
"Middle East"
],
"topics": [
"Political Reform",
"Foreign Policy"
]
}
Source: Getty
In The Media
Kurdish Statehood: An Israeli Wish
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for the creation of an independent Kurdish state. But why has Israel expressed support for Kurdish independence?
By Yezid Sayigh
Published on Aug 2, 2014
Source: Press TV
Israeli President Shimon Peres told U.S. President Barack Obama on June 25 that Iraq could not be kept together and asked for support for Kurdish independence. The next day, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Paris that the establishment of an independent Kurdish state was probably inevitable.
In addition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “We have to support the independence aspirations of the Kurds.” This was not the first time Israeli leaders have pushed for Kurdish independence. They have repeatedly echoed this line in the decade since the invasion of Iraq.
Historical relationships between some Kurdish factions and Israel go back to the early days of the Zionist project. Dividing the Middle East into countries of warring minorities can be traced back to the days of British colonialism and today Israel is at the forefront of making sure it happens.
To discuss Israel’s support for an independent Kurdistan and the separation of Kurdistan from Iraq, Press TV’s Middle East Files spoke with Carnegie’s Yezid Sayigh.
About the Author
Yezid Sayigh
Senior Fellow, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Yezid Sayigh is a senior fellow at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, where he leads the program on Civil-Military Relations in Arab States (CMRAS). His work focuses on the comparative political and economic roles of Arab armed forces, the impact of war on states and societies, the politics of postconflict reconstruction and security sector transformation in Arab transitions, and authoritarian resurgence.
- What Is Israel’s Plan in Lebanon?
- All or Nothing in GazaCommentary
Yezid Sayigh
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie Europe
- Europe Doesn’t Like War—for Good ReasonsCommentary
The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are existential threats to Europe as a peace project. Leaders and citizens alike must reaffirm their solidarity to face up to today’s multifaceted challenges.
Marc Pierini
- Rewiring the South Caucasus: TRIPP and the New Geopolitics of ConnectivityArticle
The U.S.-sponsored TRIPP deal is driving the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process forward. But foreign and domestic hurdles remain before connectivity and economic interdependence can open up the South Caucasus.
Thomas de Waal, Areg Kochinyan, Zaur Shiriyev
- Taking the Pulse: Is it NATO’s Job to Support Trump’s War of Choice?Commentary
Donald Trump has demanded that European allies send ships to the Strait of Hormuz while his war of choice in Iran rages on. He has constantly berated NATO while the alliance’s secretary-general has emphatically supported him.
Rym Momtaz, ed.
- Time to Merge the Commission and EEASCommentary
The EU is structurally incapable of reacting to today’s foreign policy crises. The union must fold the EEAS into the European Commission and create a security council better prepared to take action on the global stage.
Stefan Lehne
- Russia’s Imperial Retreat Is Europe’s Strategic OpportunityCommentary
The war in Ukraine is costing Russia its leverage overseas. Across the South Caucasus and Middle East, this presents an opportunity for Europe to pick up the pieces and claim its own sphere of influence.
William Dixon, Maksym Beznosiuk
