KurdPress news agency has conducted a detailed interview with Ms. Sheri Laizer, apolitical analyst and an observer of Middle East issues who has been following the issues of the Kurdistan Region and the Kurds for 40 years. She has published books and articles on this subject.

"It is necessary for the voice of the independent Kurds in Iraq and be heard," Ms. Laser said adding that protesters, critics and intellectuals must also be heard. Thinkers independent of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) can help reform and liberalize the Kurdish region. Why should criticisms against Kurdish regional leaders be censored?"

What follow are her answers to KurdPress question. To save time and energy the interview has been released in short.

" In my view, the attitudes of Iraq’s central government are the same attitudes as ever in the past. However, so long as the Kurdish leadership did not utter the forbidden word INDEPENDENCE, the sleeping dogs were relatively content to lie in the shade. Resource sharing and power sharing were working out just fine for the returned Kurdish and Arab exiles from their Saddam era sojourn in Iran or in the West. A few others had spent time in the Soviet Bloc but Iraqi and Kurdish Communists were relegated to a secondary status footing long ago," the analyst said about different Iraqi government policies towards the Kurds in the country.

About the impact of the 2017 independence referendum of the Iraqi Kurds on their relationship with Baghdad, Ms. Laizer stated: "The Kurdistan independence referendum brought the blood hounds out into the open, howling and threatening mayhem. They showed their true faces and their true policies of old. They never wanted to concede an inch to the Kurds but were forced to in Iraq alone by the events between 1988-1991 at the end of the Iran-Iraq war. The 1994-1998 internal Kurdish battle for domination between the PDK [Kurdistan Democratic Party] and PUK [Patriotic Union of Kurdistan] exposed how easy it was for the enemies of Kurdish independence to rely on their old tactics of divide and rule. The referendum threatened their grasp on control because it implied the future existence of a unified Kurdistan - even though little would have changed outwardly until the internal politics of Kurdistan changed. Turkey, Syria and Iraq have all tried to do the same to the Kurds through attempting to alter the population demographics but it has not lasted – Kurdish identity is stronger.

The analyst blamed the West policies towards the Kurds as the West has always been a part of the attempts which try to stop the Iraqi Kurds from achieving independence and said: "The West that is responsible for dividing the Kurds in the first place, keen to put business before everything else. It is this policy which I have been highlighting recently on corruption and authoritarianism in my articles about the region and the destructive affects it is having on people’s lives. Nobody thinks about the children being born into this situation – the children that have been growing up seeing bodies in the streets and the poor children spawned by ISIS or recruited by its killers.

"That said, I do see a cause for real hope in the protest movement in Iraq and in Kurdistan, in Turkey and Syria, as well as across the wider region – a generation has woken up and an older generation is fed up. The majority do not identify with ISIS or want to join Jihad.

"The Kurdish administration, funnily, has come increasingly to mimic that of Saddam Hussein in tone and style."

New leaders in power

"We have witnessed how critics and protestors face an authoritarian backlash, silencing, the use of force, secret detentions, and even being killed. Because the two main parties control the judiciary and their respective Asayish forces, the KRG is operating in much the same manner as Turkey is being controlled under Sunni extremist leader, Recep Tayyib Erdogan. Even the rhetoric being exploited is similar when you look at how journalists and activists that are critical on any of these issues are treated. Instead of being listened to on an inclusive basis, they are seen as a threat. Instability is preferred to stability," she blamed the way the current KRG government behaves with the critics.

Ms. Laizer blamed the current and former Kurdish leaders for the current crises in the region and said: "They will scoff at this but many commentators see the KDP’s close relations with Turkey and the PUK’s close relations with Iran as the cause of instability overall. Rather than looking for a means to unite, the younger generation that were already enjoying a large degree of power after the 1991 uprising, have now consolidated it officially and between them control the oil and gas sector, most construction, telecommunications, security etc. This is full blown nepotism and no one else can get a look in."

"When I was in Erbil during the last elections in 2018, one well-placed Kurdish intellectual said to me as we were driving past Sami Abdurrahman Park, 'Look there that man wheeling the hand barrow and selling ice creams to passersby is the son of a famous Syrian Kurdish leader – this is how we treat him here. Instead of respecting his father and giving him a role in our administration we leave him to beg on the streets,'” she continued to say.

Ms. Laizer expressed her pessimism over possible positive changes in the Kurdistan Region during the rule of the new generation of leaders and said: "The reason is that the younger generation have enjoyed the power and wealth that the northern No Fly Zone first made possible. They have then gone into business with various US and western players from that same period like former Colonel Nabb, who took off his military hat and, already enjoying close relations with Nechirvan Barzani since 1991, has since amassed a personal fortune. Now they are all billionaires. They don’t want to share their wealth or their power. They are proud of it, shamelessly so."

"The tug of war over Kirkuk and its resources goes on. Certain partnerships between the former exiles in the West, Kurdish and Arab, keep those officials reasonably secure, profiting overall from the status quo. Being dual passport holders they can always retreat to their mansions abroad if the going gets tougher. A most interesting development has been the attempt by the France-based families of the protestors killed or injured in Baghdad to hold Adel Abdul-Mahdi responsible because he was resident in exile in France between 1963 and his return to Iraq and the case has therefore been filed under French legal jurisdiction. If more such cases were brought before the domestic and international courts, justice might become a more meaningful word," she said about the reasons behind the crises in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

Is Kurdistan a safe heaven in Iraq?

"Thirty years ago this year (1991-2021) in the first days of the international protection efforts under the No Fly Zone imposition Iraqi Kurdistan was ever so briefly a ‘safe haven’ – but this was only relatively so, and in relation to being safer from the military attentions of the Ba’ath government," Ms. Laizer said about claims that the Kurdistan Region is a safe heaven in comparison to the other parts of the country.

"Iraqi Kurdistan has never been safe from internal rivalries or from being penetrated by agents. The KAA/KAZ opened the former puppet parliament in the name of the two main parties with some Islamists, socialists and others sprinkled in. We have seen how this has developed in the three decades since. Many ordinary Kurds know their standard of living and employment prospects were better under the Ba’ath party," she further said in this regard.

"Young people, graduates, writers, artists, great musicians and painters are only supported if they pledge loyalty to the PDK or PUK. The Kurdish nation overall thereby misses out and the great artists’ work is never seen or appreciated.

The analyst reiterated that "Iraqi Kurdistan is not the ‘other Iraq: it is the same Iraq draped in the Kurdish flag. Even the Ba’ath Party did more for Kurdish culture than the Kurdish administration is doing. The parties censor the media that they don’t own or control."

Kurds' dissatisfaction with the two-party ruling system

About the power-sharing of the two ruling parties in the region and if there is a possible solution to the situation, she stated that "Although other parties exist and indeed, are constantly being formed, the two main parties have long since found ways of dominating the political, economic and security sectors and thereby retain overall power. Gorran had won a lot of popular support but has slipped into the KDP’s shadow. Divide and rule is dominating the region, like a Cold War version of the 1994-1998 civil war between the KDP and PUK."

"Independent Kurdish voices need to be admitted to the choir and allowed to sing. The protestors, critics and those with enlightened views should be listed to and their views considered. Non-KDP and PUK secular thinkers can contribute to reform and liberalize society. The building of mosques and virtually free reign that has been accorded to extremist preachers must stop. Why censor criticism of the leadership? Many of them spent years in the West in exile but they are happy to wrap themselves back under the old patriarchal traditions. Women have particularly suffered. There are token women players in the administration but clothes in the party colors," the analyst underscored.

KRG relationship with the Syrian Kurdish administration?

"Alas, for the Kurdish villagers and town dwellers from Afrin to Kamishli, from Kobani to Azaz, just as with the Yazidis, they have been left to the mercy of the recycled ISIS and Al Nusra killers, backed by the Turkish army and other mercenaries. The KRG was in a position to stand by them instead of standing back," she said about Erbil ties with the Kurds in Syria.

"But this is a historic problem. I remember being present at the aftermath of clashes and battles throughout the 1990s between the KDP, PUK and PKK. No common ground was found on which to build and more Kurdish blood was shed in the name of one party of the other.

"The KDP has a strong Islamist streak that makes it a natural ally of Islamic Turkey. I remember also being surprised to see how even in periods fighting the Iraqi army when the Kurdish uprising of 1991 was threatened with collapse that the Peshmerga laid down their weapons and brought out their prayer rugs. The PYD, YPG and JPG are not Islamist in foundation – they derived from the secular left-wing tradition among the Kurds of Turkey and Syria. Many are also from historic Alevi families that suffered massacre and attack from far right wing Turkish nationalists. The Armenians have suffered for the same reasons – even lately in Nagorno-Karabakh," Ms. Laizer said about the reasons behind the rifts between the Kurds in Iraq, Syria and Turkey.

She noted that "The two sectors have different roots and a different outlook on the future. The forces of the YPG are more disciplined than the KDP and PUK – their sense of Kurdish identity is more central to them and they are still facing high risks of extermination from Ankara."

"Damascus has always allowed the KDP and PUK their offices in Syria. Until October 1998, Abdullah Ocalan [PKK jailed leader] was secure in Syria from the Turkish denial of Kurdish identity but a great opportunity was lost when he decided to abandon his refuge in Rome which had garnered the world’s attention and focused on the Kurdish plight.

"The West could easily identity with the PYD as the only choice against ISIS. I knew [Donald] Trump would sell them out. Look at Trump Tower in Istanbul and the business relations between his son in law and Erdogan’s son-in-law."

She reiterated that following personal interests among Kurdish parties as the main root behind the current situation of the people in the Kurdistan Region and stated "Business is taking precedence over human rights and the same is true of the relations between the KRG and the Kurdish self-government in Syria. Their values are not the same. The welfare of the Kurdish nation each claim to be working for, fighting for, dying for, is the keystone not the bank balance.

"New leaders in the KRG can work to coordinate a Kurdish charter that suits all its citizens."

Turkey military operation in Kurdistan Region

"Yes, this is true and I have been watching it go on for the past 35 years. Under Erdogan it is as bad it ever was at the height of the brutal 1990s under Tansu Ciller’s ugly premiership with slogans like ‘drain the sea to catch the fish’ rallying Turkish fascists to support the military carnage. Now, Turkey gets away with everything. NATO is to blame. America and Britain are to blame. They could sanction Turkey and say NATO member has no place acting unilaterally using NATO weapons in the neighboring countries but they are complicit and also in business with Turkey," she said about the reason behind Erbil and Baghdad silence against Turkey military operation in the Kurdish region.

Ms. Laizer further blamed the West and NATO for the Turkey military operation in the region and stated that: "I saw recently how Holland has sent some forces to Erbil to help fight against ISIS but Holland is also complicit in selling out the Kurdish nation. Turkish investment in Holland is enormous, including by AKP players like Binali Yildirim. Dutch investments in Turkey are equally high. The Dutch are involved in Kurdish oil. They would sell out any Kurd that gets in the way of this as with Huseyin Baybasin who exposed their drug trafficking but then lied and libeled their way out by trying to make the whistleblower into the criminal. This was easy as Kurdistan is not a nation with Embassies and diplomatic channels through which to represent and assist its own people. Instead business relations are what are determining who wins and who loses" and warned the West that "The side effects of this bad policy are ISIS attacks in Western cities and a growing far right wing and religious extremist Turkish population in Western countries with money and no scruples. NATO must change its policy towards Turkey and Europe, that bears the brunt of the refugee crisis, cease throwing money to Erdogan that causes thousands to flee every year in search of safety."

Is Joe Biden a better US president for Kurds?

About the policies of the new US President Joe Biden about the Kurds in comparison with the former US President Donald Trump, Ms. Laser stressed that "Biden is wiser and more experienced than Trump. Trump has been a disaster for the Kurds of Turkey and Syria. He is a businessman without morals."

"Barack Obama helped save the Yazidis, that is a fact. He does not like Erdogan – he can see through him. He is a strong advisory position to help Jo Biden. In his latest new autobiography, he expresses his criticism and distrust of Erdogan.

"Turkey is the greatest threat to the Kurds and then by the self-interested Kurdish leadership itself. So long as the main Kurdish leaders do not speak with a unified voice and stand up for all Kurds – and for the Yazidis and minorities living side by side with Kurdish people - the West has a free hand to dismiss them - just as happened in the three-year space between the treaties of Sevres and Lausanne, a century ago when the Kurds almost became a nation," she said about the greatest threat that endangers the Kurds.

"Biden has first to deal with white supremacists in America rallied by Trump. He has to decide what the best course is in Iraq," Ms. Laizer said about Biden possible priorities in Iraq.

The analyst further reiterated that the Kurdish independence would not harm Iraq.

"Many thousands of Kurds live in the United States," she said, and stated that "They should earnestly lobby the new administration, including on steps necessary to sanction Erdogan for war crimes against their nation."

Ms. Laizer appreciated US President Joe Biden's policy towards the Kurds and stated that "Joe Biden is not ignorant of what has been going on in Turkey and Syria. His fellow Democrat, Hilary Clinton, and her daughter Chelsea, have obtained the rights to make a film about the female fighters of Rojava based on the book by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon – ‘The Daughters of Kobani: A story of Rebellion, Courage, and Justice '. This endeavour implies respect and admiration for the Kurdish position, which can be built upon. In a statement about the project, Hilary Clinton said: 'The Daughters of Kobani’ is an extraordinary account of brave, defiant women fighting for justice and equality. "We created HiddenLight (her production company) to celebrate heroes -- sung and unsung alike -- whose courage is too often overlooked, and we could not be more thrilled to bring this inspiring story to viewers around the world."

She ultimately called on the Kurds to make lobby in the US government to follow their goals as "The Turkish lobby pays millions for good PR in the United States. The elite that dominate the Kurdish administration in Iraq wastes millions on feuding and feasting. This corroded sense of patriotism stands in sharp relief to the sacrifices endured in securing Kobani from the devils of ISIS."

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