No time to waste on ’Kurdistan’ debate
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 27, 2009 00:00
We suspect life would be easier today if back in 1648, when diplomats gathered to hammer out what has become known as the Treaty of Westphalia to create the nation-state system, someone had simply said, "Hey, pay attention to the names."
Names like Canada, Belgium and Luxembourg are just fine, they might have argued. Austria might be OK, too, since it suggests a point on the compass. But when you begin incorporating ethnic identity into the names, you are going to have headaches in 300 years. This is not to say that Finland does not do a good job of accommodating the needs of its Swedes and Laps. This is not to argue that those Italian patriots who unified their country in the 19th century intended to exclude Albanian-speakers in the east or German-speakers in the north from the fruits of republicanism.
And, as is well established, the founders of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 were hardly intent on creating an ethnicity-based state. Turks are citizens of Turkey, no need for a check of ancestral DNA. But that doesn’t mean that confusion on this issue does not still reign, particularly in places like Brussels.
Which is all a long way of saying that nation-state names that imply the proprietary interests of certain ethnic groups are problematic. If there’s an answer to the dilemma, however, we realize that it will not be found in asking the Magyar majority in Hungary to strip that phrase out of the country’s name in the Hungarian language. Rather, solid and respected protection for citizens who happen to speak Romanian or German at home is the task for Hungary. Obsessive debate over a name will not lead to progress.
This week has seen a lively debate about President Abdullah Gül’s visit to Baghdad, where he is reported to have used the taboo word "Kurdistan." He says he did not. The team of journalists that accompanied him is divided. Our view would be simply that it doesn’t matter.
Turkey generally, and the current government specifically, have made great strides in getting beyond the politics of identity that have stalked Turkey in the past. Is everything perfect? No. But the state broadcaster broadcasts in Kurdish and universities are establishing departments of Kurdish language. Even Turkish music icon Ajda Pekkan sang a song in Kurdish just days ago at a concert sponsored by this newspaper.
If Iraqis want to call the regional administration in the north "Kurdistan," that is their business. Whether "Kurdistan" treats its citizens of Turkmen, Arab, Assyrian or other origins with full and equal rights will be the business of the world.
Debate over the name will only distract Turkey from securing the support it needs to fight the real threat of terrorism sponsored by the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, and other outlaws. It is time to focus on much bigger issues than the name of an Iraqi province.
And, as is well established, the founders of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 were hardly intent on creating an ethnicity-based state. Turks are citizens of Turkey, no need for a check of ancestral DNA. But that doesn’t mean that confusion on this issue does not still reign, particularly in places like Brussels.
Which is all a long way of saying that nation-state names that imply the proprietary interests of certain ethnic groups are problematic. If there’s an answer to the dilemma, however, we realize that it will not be found in asking the Magyar majority in Hungary to strip that phrase out of the country’s name in the Hungarian language. Rather, solid and respected protection for citizens who happen to speak Romanian or German at home is the task for Hungary. Obsessive debate over a name will not lead to progress.
This week has seen a lively debate about President Abdullah Gül’s visit to Baghdad, where he is reported to have used the taboo word "Kurdistan." He says he did not. The team of journalists that accompanied him is divided. Our view would be simply that it doesn’t matter.
Turkey generally, and the current government specifically, have made great strides in getting beyond the politics of identity that have stalked Turkey in the past. Is everything perfect? No. But the state broadcaster broadcasts in Kurdish and universities are establishing departments of Kurdish language. Even Turkish music icon Ajda Pekkan sang a song in Kurdish just days ago at a concert sponsored by this newspaper.
If Iraqis want to call the regional administration in the north "Kurdistan," that is their business. Whether "Kurdistan" treats its citizens of Turkmen, Arab, Assyrian or other origins with full and equal rights will be the business of the world.
Debate over the name will only distract Turkey from securing the support it needs to fight the real threat of terrorism sponsored by the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, and other outlaws. It is time to focus on much bigger issues than the name of an Iraqi province.