Jawn Qui𝕏ote

This sentence by Dostoyevsky hits so hard. “You sensed that you should be following a different path, a more ambitious one, you felt that you were destined for other things but you had no idea how to achieve them and in your misery you began to hate everything around you.”

Name a character that played their role perfectly

About the Kurdish option per IslanderWORLD: This brings us to the rumored "plan B": the Iranian Kurdish militias. According to reports too widespread to ignore, the US has been in talks with these groups about launching operations from their bases in northern Iraq into western Iran. The goal, ostensibly, is to soften up Iranian security forces and create space for a popular uprising. President Trump has even been on the phone with Kurdish leaders in Iraq, presumably to discuss logistics and, one assumes, to remind them to ignore any incoming calls from Turkey. Now, for the second, and far more engaging, part of the question: would the Kurds actually fall for this again? Let's consult the historical transcript, shall we? In 1975, the US and the Shah of Iran armed the Kurds to bleed Iraq dry. When the Shah made a deal with Baghdad, the US cut the Kurds off without a second thought. Kurdish leader Mustafa Barzani sent Henry Kissinger a desperate plea, citing America's "moral and political responsibility." Kissinger didn't even bother to reply, later offering the immortal epitaph of realpolitik: "Covert action should not be confused with missionary work" . In 1991, after George H.W. Bush encouraged Iraqis to rise up against Saddam Hussein, the Kurds obliged. They took up arms, seized cities, and then watched as the US stood by and allowed Saddam to use his helicopters, which were exempt from the no-fly zone, to massacre them by the tens of thousands, often using illegal chemical weapons (developed with the help of the west when Saddam was a useful tool against Iran).'' Then-National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft later admitted they hoped the rebellion would lead to a military coup, not a popular uprising. Oopsie. And, lest we forget the most recent episode, in 2019 in Syria, the US told their Kurdish allies, who had lost 11,000 fighters defeating ISIS, to hold tight. Then President Trump had a phone call with Turkey's Erdogan, did an abrupt about-face, and ordered American troops to withdraw, effectively green-lighting a Turkish invasion of the very territory the Kurds had liberated. As American convoys departed, grateful Kurdish civilians pelted them with rotten vegetables. So, with that track record, you would think the Kurds might be a tad skeptical. And you'd be right. Across the Middle East, the message is clear: US support is unreliable and temporary. 👇