Support independence
Since the recent vote for independence took place in Iraqi Kurdistan, critics have insisted that now is not the time for that (“Iraqi Kurdish leader to quit as independence push stalls,” Oct. 29). What they fail to mention is when that time will be.
American politicians should not find it difficult to support the cause of Kurdistan independence. Kurdish militias in both Iraq and Syria have proven to be indispensable allies in the widely publicized fight against the Islamic State. Kurdish political culture embraces the Western values of democracy, feminism and secularism.
The United States has lost its global moral authority in the past few decades thanks to its actions in the Middle East. Embracing an independent Kurdistan would put it on a course to get it back. President Trump can lend credibility to his nationalist policies by embracing the U.N. principle of self-determination and sympathizing with the plight and hopes of the Kurdish nation.
— Chris Duffy, Boston