Rand Paul Exclusive: Arm the Kurds To Battle ISIS and Reward Them With Kurdistan

[jmdrake]

I hadn't heard about that. Which Kurds? Any links?

http://www.newsweek.com/2014/11/14/how-does-isis-fund-its-reign-terror-282607.html
ISIS is able to produce only around a fifth of its oil fields’ total capacity in Iraq and Syria, so ISIS is probably getting help from its oil-rich neighbors, says al-Khatteeb. Cohen has confirmed this, saying that, despite their hostility to ISIS, the Kurds in Iraq, Turkey and Syria have all done deals with ISIS, often through middlemen.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Ummmm....the Kurds are buying oil from ISIS. So....how are they going to sell oil to us? By buying it from ISIS?

http://www.newsweek.com/2014/11/14/how-does-isis-fund-its-reign-terror-282607.html
ISIS is able to produce only around a fifth of its oil fields’ total capacity in Iraq and Syria, so ISIS is probably getting help from its oil-rich neighbors, says al-Khatteeb. Cohen has confirmed this, saying that, despite their hostility to ISIS, the Kurds in Iraq, Turkey and Syria have all done deals with ISIS, often through middlemen.

I read that the other way around. The Kurds are selling oil, and some of it is getting to ISIS through black markets. Once again, this is the result of active US interference. The US government and others are preventing the Kurds from legitimately selling oil, so they have to use the black market.

 

[twomp]

Really, am I the only one on the planet that sees that ISIS could easily be stopped by cutting off their funding?

No you are not but the part-time warmongers around here keep insisting we throw more weapons into the area and that will fix things. Here Kurds, have some guns. Turkey, Iraq, you want guns too? Okay more weapons for everyone, that will bring peace to the region!

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Really, am I the only one on the planet that sees that ISIS could easily be stopped by cutting off their funding?

Good idea.

Kind of hard for us to control though. How do we stop other nations and foreign nationals from funding ISIS?

 

[Chieppa1]

If anyone really still needs to "understand the region" here, they should be listening to The Scott Horton Show on the daily.

 

[Chieppa1]

Good idea.

Kind of hard for us to control though. How do we stop other nations and foreign nationals from funding ISIS?

We don't. We stop funding ISIS and the other nations. Then, the other nations will have to stop funding ISIS because they will notice how broke their regime is without our tax dollars.

 

[Jeremy]

This is infinitely more despicable than signing that letter. There really is no way to excuse calling for this.

Of course there is. Letting someone build their own country isn't the same as building it for them.

 

[lib3rtarian]

Very good move by Rand. High time someone called on Kurds to have their own land - Kurdistan. Kurds are good allies as they can't stand the Islamic extremists anymore than we do.

 

[RabbitMan]

Interesting position called for by Rand. The whole problem in the past is that establishing Kurdistan would destabilize Turkey and Syria. Instead of fighting against the Kurds call for a country, using our sway to actively bring a position that the Turks can get behind, and declaring that Syria doesn't even really have a legit claim to that small area anyway, this could form into a fascinating solution.

I'd rather there be another way out, but as far as interventions go, this is as solid, bi-partisan and smart as you can go.

 

[dannno]

Arming the Kurds is one thing. Promising them a country is insanity and completely unnecessary.

I don't think Rand is saying he promises to defend their country, he is just promising to recognize it.

 

[orenbus]

My heart says supporting the Kurds (through arms and land) is the right thing to do and can help to deal with this ISIS issue, my brain is screaming something about blowback.

 

[juleswin]

And next week, Rand would be doing the same for the Palestinians. But who I am kidding, this overture is just for the Arabs enemies of the U.S. . None of that land grabbing nonsense for the Turks or Israelis.

Also we know what is going to happen with this, the Kurds will try to stake claim to oil rich land in Syria and Iraq and that's when they will be massacred for the second time for listening to the U.S. That allowed to build a home in a land locked region with no oil, live in a abject poverty and have hostile enemies on all sides angry that they sold then out to the U.S. to take over their national territory.

How about we just stay away from it all? stop trying to redrawn national lines by force. Btw the Kurds are not the only people without a homeland.

Lastly, Rand would be supporting the same plan he criticized the Russians doing it in Crimea. You don't have to lead these people down another road where they surely would be masacred for trying to take away land from the Iraqis and Syrians.

This is the kind of neocon policies that would ensure that I never give him one more penny for fundraising.

 

[idiom]

Arming the Kurds is one thing. Promising them a country is insanity and completely unnecessary.

Arming the Kurds without planning to 100% give them a country is completely immoral and unethical.

You want people to fight your war for you, then go home to continue being oppress? "RISE AND REVOLT KURDS!! Okay we are done now, go home and be good subjects..."

I love this from Rand. One cannot expect the Kurds to fight ISIS, and fight Syria, and fight Turkey, and then just go home when America is done using them as Cannon Fodder.

You either go all in, or you stay the hell out.

My preference is a resolution forbidding the President for assisting the Kurds without a UN resolution granting them a country.

Will keep America's hands to itself.

 

[Chieppa1]

My heart says supporting the Kurds (through arms and land) is the right thing to do and can help to deal with this ISIS issue, my brain is screaming something about blowback.

If you go to tribal parts of Eastern Turkey, you'll find people who remind people that the Kurds did some massacring of their own. This could help deal with the ISIS issue. If we are taking the viewpoint that ISIS is an issue more than continued involvement is the issue.

 

[puppetmaster]

I don't think Rand is saying he promises to defend their country, he is just promising to recognize it.

That is what i get also

 

[Chieppa1]

I think he's really just trying to point out that other countries exist in the world and not every issue is on the scale of German aggression throughout Europe.

Rand seems to enjoy bringing out a discussion or alternative viewpoint on something through a policy/bill idea.

 

[Chieppa1]

double post

 

[jmdrake]

Arming the Kurds without planning to 100% give them a country is completely immoral and unethical.

You want people to fight your war for you, then go home to continue being oppress? "RISE AND REVOLT KURDS!! Okay we are done now, go home and be good subjects..."

I love this from Rand. One cannot expect the Kurds to fight ISIS, and fight Syria, and fight Turkey, and then just go home when America is done using them as Cannon Fodder.

You either go all in, or you stay the hell out.

My preference is a resolution forbidding the President for assisting the Kurds without a UN resolution granting them a country.

Will keep America's hands to itself.

Ummmmmm.....Why the hell do you want the Kurds to fight Syria and Turkey? Last time I checked Turkey was a NATO ally. And Syria was an ally in the war on terror until Bush decided that they weren't simply because they didn't agree with his stupid invasion of Iraq.

 

[LawnWake]

Arming the Kurds without planning to 100% give them a country is completely immoral and unethical.

You want people to fight your war for you, then go home to continue being oppress? "RISE AND REVOLT KURDS!! Okay we are done now, go home and be good subjects..."

I love this from Rand. One cannot expect the Kurds to fight ISIS, and fight Syria, and fight Turkey, and then just go home when America is done using them as Cannon Fodder.

You either go all in, or you stay the hell out.

My preference is a resolution forbidding the President for assisting the Kurds without a UN resolution granting them a country.

Will keep America's hands to itself.

6_6

 

[jmdrake]

I read that the other way around. The Kurds are selling oil, and some of it is getting to ISIS through black markets. Once again, this is the result of active US interference. The US government and others are preventing the Kurds from legitimately selling oil, so they have to use the black market.

Wrong. Read again and read further. The Kurds are buying oil from ISIS and selling it to Turkey. ISIS doesn't need to buy oil from anyone. They are sitting on a shitload of oil. And if the Kurds needed an outlet to sell their oil they sure as hell wouldn't need to sell it to ISIS.

Iraq is bordered by six countries: Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait and Turkey. ISIS moves oil and fuel across some of these borders with tanker trucks for sale beyond its borders. Turkey’s southern corridor, Iraq’s northwestern corridor and Syria’s northeastern corridor all contain crossing points. Iraqi Kurdistan is another favorite conduit for oil and fuel, to be sold to Turkey. The regional Kurdish government in Iraq recently arrested some of its own citizens along with a number of Kurdish politicians and security officials for acting as intermediaries in smuggling out oil and fuel on behalf of ISIS.

This is what happened. ISIS took over oil fields in Syria and Northern Iraq. ISIS needs help selling the oil so that they can buy weapons and refined fuel. (They have practically no refining capacity). Some unscrupulous Kurds are working with ISIS to sell ISIS oil to Turkey and Syria. Syria needs the oil because they are cut off from their own oil fields by ISIS and because the are under an embargo thanks to the idiots (traitors?) who have set up U.S. foreign policy. Seriously, folks are spending all of this time reading and reposting over and over again the "What ISIS wants" article and nobody is taking the time to understand how ISIS is funded. I don't give a crap what their goals are. Without money they die.