David L. Phillips in his latest essay ‘Looking for Friends in the Middle East: Try the Kurds’ posted on September 25th on online-newspaper The Huffington Post, suggested to western countries, super powers and especially United State of America to take steps to consolidate friendly relations with the Kurds as they are largely secular and pro-Western nation in the region.


“More than 25 million Kurds in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey are largely secular and pro-Western. Kurds understand democracy and individual rights are compatible with Islamic values”, Philips said at the beginning of the article.

In the case of Iraq, the writer said while Nuri al-Maliki has shunned U.S.interests, acting as a proxy for Iran as it facilitates the transfer of weapons from Tehran to Syria Kurds in contrast has functioning democratic institutions, a vibrant civil society and an independent media. Although “corruption is still a problem, Iraqi Kurdistan is less corrupt than most neighbors” he added. In Syria’s current crisis unlike Maliki KRG’s president Masoud Barzani played a positive and helpful role.

Phillips suggested to America to further strengthen US-Kurdish amity by canceling its sale of Abram-A1 tanks and F-16 fighter jets to Baghdad.

Kurds in other parts according to the writer are best friend of U.S. “regardless of the outcome to Syria’s Civil War, the United state will have no friend in Syria expect the Kurds”.

The Article shows the evidence that Iranian Kurds are pro-democratic movement that taken place in the country, trying to build up a democratic state within the border of the country with a decentralized regime.
“In Iran, more can be done to provide political support to the Kurdistan Iranian opposition. Iranian Kurds want to replace Iran’s theocracy with a federal democratic state” Phillips wrote.