The chief obstacle in the Kurdish quest for self-rule has always been the dispersed reality of the aspirants to sovereignty. The creation of a “Greater Kurdistan” has been contingent on concessions from the four states where Kurds are concentrated: Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq. Creating consensus in one country in the most ideal of conditions can be hard enough. Now imagine the difficulty of effecting a compromise that requires four separate nations to make territorial sacrifices in a region as volatile as contemporary Middle East, and you get a sense of the patience and prudence required to bring a viable Kurdish state into being.
Masoud Barzani showed neither virtue in his rush to stage an independence plebiscite in Kurdistan Region, the only autonomous area of Iraq. The president of the region railroaded the referendum in defiance of regional and international opinion and trampled, in the process, on common sense. Iraqi Kurdistan is the only place on earth where the Kurds have managed to build a proto-state. The Kurdish yearning for self-rule found a substantial degree of expression there. The survival of this autonomy in post-Baathist Iraq depended on mutual respect. In an exclusive interview with The National, Iraqi vice-president Ayad Allawi accused Nouri Al Maliki, Iraq's pro-Iranian former premier, of alienating the Kurds with his "partisan and sectarian" approach to governance.
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Read more
Iraqi Kurdistan's independence referendum will harm the people it claims to benefit
92% of Kurdish voters choose independence from Iraq
Exclusive: Iraq paying price today for past mistakes says vice-president
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But the referendum is scarcely a solution to the grievances of the Kurds, as Mr Barzani must surely know. Iraq shed vast quantities of blood to liberate a third of the country from the grip of ISIL. The idea that Baghdad will now surrender to demands to forfeit the exact amount of land to the Kurds, effectively self-balkanising just having secured Iraq's territorial integrity at tremendous cost, is preposterous. The fact that 92 per cent of the participants in the referendum voted for secession does not automatically sanctify Kurdish claims to areas that have sizeable non-Kurdish minorities. The Iraqi state, still legally the sovereign over all of the country, owes the duty of protection to all its citizens.
Mr Barzani, far from emancipating the Kurds, has provoked fresh conflict in a country that desperately needs a long stretch of stability and peace. Just when Iraq was poised to regain its composure, Mr Barzani has generated a wholly unnecessary crisis. He has not helped the cause of Iraqi Kurds, whose autonomy is now exposed to uncertainty. Nor has he done any favours to fellow Kurds in the region, whose governments, anxious to contain similar spectacles in their own countries, may unleash severely stifling measures.
The Iraqi government is understandably furious. But military action will widen the schism between the Kurdistan Region and the rest of the country. A shooting war is the last thing the people of Iraq deserve. Mr Barzani has failed his people; the Iraqi government must not. Dialogue may not resolve every difference. But it is the only thing that can avert bloodshed.
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More from Opinion on the Kurdish referendum
The Kurdish referendum is a distraction from the real issues at stake
Iraqi Kurdistan's independence referendum will harm the people it claims to benefit
The genie of Kurdish independence will be hard to put back in the bottle
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Teri%20Baaton%20Mein%20Aisa%20Uljha%20Jiya
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amit%20Joshi%20and%20Aradhana%20Sah%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECast%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shahid%20Kapoor%2C%20Kriti%20Sanon%2C%20Dharmendra%2C%20Dimple%20Kapadia%2C%20Rakesh%20Bedi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RESULTS
5pm: Watha Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
Winner: Dalil De Carrere, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Miracle Maker, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Pharitz Al Denari, Bernardo Pinheiro, Mahmood Hussain
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Oss, Jesus Rosales, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: ES Nahawand, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: AF Almajhaz, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: AF Lewaa, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qaiss Aboud.
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Company%20Profile
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Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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Company%20Profile
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Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
SWEET%20TOOTH
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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