.jpg)
By Amitai Etzioni
An independent Kurdistan could be a stable, pro-Western ally in the Middle East.
In dealing with Iraq, the U.S. and its allies would benefit from drawing on an important axiom of economics, that of “sunk costs.” It suggests that contrary to common intuition, how much you have invested in a property (or policy) in the past should not affect your decisions about future investments. The decisive question is whether the property is currently in good shape, or is falling apart. It makes no sense to invest in a sinking Titanic, however much it cost to build.
U.S. President Barack Obama and many others are moved by the huge sacrifices in life, money and political capital that were made in Iraq. Obama hopes that one more investment will finally make Iraq into a functioning nation and ally. He demands that Iraq’s next government be formed in a way that Sunnis will feel “connected to and well served.” However, the sectarian divisions in Iraq run deep. The various ethnic and confessional groups were put together ad hoc by colonial powers and never formed a true national community. Iran is pulling the Shia population in one direction and Saudi Arabia is pulling the Sunnis in a different one, while the Kurds have long sought to go their own way. The notion that a more inclusive government will make the Sunnis and Kurds feel “connected,” to the point that they will settle their differences with ballots rather than bullets is a very attractive one, but one that is extremely unlikely to come about.
Read the full story at The Diplomat