Why independent Kurdistan is a part of Russian grand strategy

By Zhyldyz Oskonbaeva (RIEAS Senior Advisor & Eurasian Liaison)



On a number of levels, the situation between the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the ethnic Kurds of Syria, Iraq and Turkey is creating a power shift that no one is discussing. In this article, I will explain why: 1) The Kurds have an unprecedented opportunity to achieve a political homeland; 2) Tehran's strategy of expanding Shia influence over the Sunnis is possible because of an independent Kurdistan; 3) Moscow is orchestrating an independent Kurdistan and 4) Turkey's recalcitrance against the United States and Western Europe squanders any chance of the Nabucco Pipeline going through Turkey..... Read more