Washington D.C. - The threat that the pro-Sunni extremist group known as the Islamic State — or ISIS — poses to secular and pro-Western peoples of the Middle such as the Kurds could hardly be exaggerated. Mount Sinjar and Kobane have now become two internationally known examples for ISIS’s horrendous crimes and stubborn determination to conquer Kurdistan. But the threats are not all ISIS has brought to the Kurds. Because of ISIS, the Kurds have received what seems to be an unprecedented degree of international attention and Western military and political support. Long viewed as an existential threat to the territorial integrity of US allies, Kurds have now in fact become one of America’s most reliable partners in the fight against ISIS. US and its allies have openly and directly armed Iraqi Kurds and met with Kurdistan President at their presidential palaces. How should we interpret Western political and military support for the Kurds? What do they mean for Kurdish nationalist aspirations? Are they just tactical and temporary support or do they it indicate a transformational shift in West’s view of the Kurdish people? To discuss this subject, Rudaw talks to: - David Romano: Professor in the Department of Political Science at Missouri State University. He is author of a book and numerous articles on Kurdish nationalism. - Alan Makovsky: a political analyst and former Senior Professional Staff Member on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. From May 2001 through June 2013, he worked consecutively for three Chairmen/Ranking Members, Congressmen Tom Lantos (D-CA), Howard Berman (D-CA), and Eliot Engel (D-NY). Mr. Makovsky worked at the State Department from 1983 to 1994, covering southern European affairs and Middle Eastern affairs.
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