Nov 15, 2015 My cheers for Russian President Vladimir Putin are tongue-in-check, based on his vow to bomb the Islamic State cutthroats and their cousins who are battling the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad. The man who demolished Grozny, the Chechen capital, and renamed its main boulevard after himself believes in the supremacy of brute… Continue reading
Oped Feature
Sacred Roman Hens and Profane Erdogan Politics
Kani Xulam Oct 6, 2015 The year was 249 BC. Rome was snarled in its First Punic War against mighty Carthage. One of the two Roman consuls for the year, Publius Claudius Pulcher, thirsted for “glory” and wanted to humiliate the great Carthaginian naval power. The fact that Romans were new to seafaring and… Continue reading
This Crisis is Spelled Barzani!
Kani Xulam September 13, 2015 There is a crisis in Iraqi Kurdistan. And it is spelled Barzani! But there doesn’t have to be a crisis. It is one that President Masoud Barzani created himself with his hold on prolonged power. He has generated it by wearing out his welcome—wanting to stay beyond his eight plus… Continue reading
The Human Skull Tower that Ahmet Davutoglu Forgot
Aug 13, 2015 Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu unfortunately talked out of both sides of his mouth last month in his Washington Post op-ed extolling his country’s battle against terrorism. Instead of letting the Post list his supposed credentials, he declared them himself, and in his opening lines no less: “A professor of history, diplomat… Continue reading
An Open Letter to the Turkish Soldier
Aug 9, 2015 When the brutal war of Turkish aggression against the Kurds ends one day, what will you say of your friends who died fighting the Kurds? When you go back to your homes in Konya, Ankara, Bolu and Bursa—like your ancestors did when they were ejected from Greece, Bulgaria, Lebanon and Syria—will you… Continue reading
Türk Askerine Açık Mektup
Aug 9, 2015 Kürt halkına karşı Türklerin bu zalim savaşı bir gün bittiğinde, Kürtlerle savaşırken ölen arkadaşlarınız için ne diyeceksiniz? Atalarınız Yunanistan’dan, Bulgaristan’dan, Lübnan ve Suriye’den çekildiğinde evlerine döndükleri gibi, siz de Konya’daki, Ankara’daki, Bolu ve Bursa’daki evlerinize döndüğünüzde “Yaşadığım her şeye değermiş” diyebilecek misiniz? Bir Türk şairi hayatlarını kaybeden arkadaşlarınızın mezarı üstüne şöyle yazarsa… Continue reading
Calling all John Browns in Turkey
I hope there is a John Brown roaming around somewhere in Turkey—one who hates supremacy of Turks over the Kurds as much as John Brown detested the slavery of blacks in America. Continue reading
Kurds and the Persian Nuke Deal
The so-called nuclear “peace” agreement negotiated with Iran has generated lots of diplomatic niceties—but little substance. Continue reading
The Kidnapped Kurdish Girl Turned into a Deadly Sniper
Her abductors wanted this little girl dead.
Her crime: she was born a Kurd!
The man who held her fate in his evil hand hated Kurdish people. Continue reading
Memo to President Obama
From Rudaw.net June 15, 2015 There is a statue of Woodrow Wilson in Prague, Czech Republic. There is a statue of Bill Clinton in Pristina, Republic of Kosovo. There should be one of you, in Hawler, Kurdistan. Before telling you why, permit me thank you for honoring President Barzani of Kurdistan at the White House… Continue reading