The Times recently met with the Republican Speaker of the House, Kaiser Wilheim II (CH-5), to discuss his bill supporting the recognition and support of the Kurdish and Somali people. Both have traditionally been allies in regional American policy for several decades but either live in a failed state or have none to speak of.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for sitting with the Times today. Between managing a new class in the House and representing your constituents in Chesapeake I imagine it’s been an exciting start to the term.
Well firstly, I’d like to thank you for taking your time off to do this interview and I’m very honored to be interviewed today. And yes it has certainly has been an exciting start to my term as a member of the House, as not only am I House Majority Leader, but I also get to work with many new colleagues whether it be from my own party or from across the aisle.
With that I do plan on doing many things this term, such as sending humans back to the moon in order to bring back an era of unimaginable technological achievements. Or too finally capitalize on our nations potential energy in order to make us energy independent, thus saving us billions in trade with countries that don’t share the same interests as us.
One of the first bills under consideration by the Republican-led House is yours, legally recognizing two foreign states that have flummoxed prior Administrations and continue to be controversial even within your own party and the State Department: Kurdistan and Somaliland.
Let’s start with Somaliland in Somalia and the former British colony, Mr. Speaker. It is officially recognized by the United Nations, but not by the U.S., U.K., the Somalian transitional government, its sister territory Puntland plagued by piracy, or the Horn of Africa’s regional power player Ethiopia.
With how unsettled the situation on the ground appears to be, why should Americans support your bill, and why is now the right time to propose it?
Ah yes, Somaliland, well I’ve been looking into that situation for quite awhile with me researching their history, culture, language, and arts. The people of Somaliland have, ever since Somalia’s independence from the United Kingdom, proven that they are not only different from Somalia, but are actually able to defend themselves from the now ever so infamous ways of Somalian pirates. Ever since 1991 when Somalia fell into anarchy and disorder, Somaliland has proved itself to be a capable fighter against piracy in the region. If we are to be able to fight piracy on a whole new level and to avoid another 2009 incident where Somalian pirates hijacked the Maersk Alabama, then recognizing Somaliland would be vital in the fight against piracy. As they can help us get a leg up on the pirates, because if we get a friendly nation in the Horn of Africa that’s willing to help us, it would be tremendous win for the world.
Somaliland has also been a great example of an African democracy with them having their presidential election not too long ago whilst being observed by France and the U.K. and with both saying that there were very few irregularities with it. This can help neighboring countries as they can use Somaliland as a model in order to help their own countries develop a working system of government.
Speaking of working government, the cattle-based economy of Somaliland along with years of vicious attacks by al Qaeda-linked al Shabab terrorists and recriminations by NATO and American forces has left Somaliland as one of the poorest breakaway states in the world. Per capita income is less than $500 and the main commodity is cattle sales to our ally Djibouti which maintains a massive U.S. military base as well as a Chinese military base under construction.
Beyond productivity fears, the African Union and Ethiopia maintain long-term concerns that if one breakaway region in the Horn can leave its country, then similar movements will happen to mixed success in Morocco, or as seen in South Sudan and Eritrea, to bloodshed.
Can the United States be sure that recognizing Somaliland will benefit our own foreign policy and that of our allies, including the Somali government in Mogadishu? And will the United States be able to maintain its military bases in Somalia, similar to countries from Japan to Italy, without aggravating its official hosts?
I can tell you, without a doubt, the United States will benefit greatly from recognizing Somaliland. Especially in the fight against terror. In these times the world must come together, whether the nation be big or small, because terrorism affects us all and being able to fight it closer to the terrorists will help the world immensely. Now of course you are right with one thing when it comes with recognizing Somaliland, that is that other autonomous regions in Africa might try and break away. Well for this I’ve developed a simple guide in order to be recognized as an independent nation in the world:
- Have a Western style DEMOCRACY
- Have a Decent human rights record
- Having a different culture, language, history, and arts then the said country you’re trying to break away from, and
- To be able to govern alone. We cannot have another South Sudan, we simply can’t.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Finally, Kurdistan, or as Turkish authorities call its de facto forces, the PKK, with little international consensus on their status as a terror group. The Kurds been subject to immense tragedy from the draining of their marshlands by dictator Saddam Hussein and gas attacks. But they have proven their loyalty to the United States’ interests in battle upon battle from the ruins of Palmirya, Syria to gatekeeping the Turkish NATO border into Europe from IS infiltrators and renditioning high-value targets to U.S. forces.
What, and where, would a Kurdish state look like? Their claims range from Turkey to Iraq to Syria across international borders.
President Trump had pursued a relaxed relationship with the authoritarian Prime Minister of Turkey Erdogan. Since President Nonprehension began analyzing the state, Turkish productivity is dropping; currency inflation is increasing rapidly; jobs are more scarce; and minority powers and rights have been curtailed. Despite analysts’ fears of possible economic depression, PM Erdogan has used the Kurds as a cudgel and launched air strikes and artillery nondiscriminatorily on its border with the Kurds, angering Kurdish militias and human rights groups.
How will your bill ease tensions in the region, while satisfying the political realities of one of the participants being a treaty member of NATO? Are you concerned that a Kurdistan could result in an invasion by the modern Turkish military, and possibly draw other NATO signatories into conflict with one another? Or push Erdogan further into the hands of Russian President Putin, and away from joint goals like safe patrols of the Mediterranean near Israel and Gaza?
Well I must say, the Kurdish people have had enough of this attempted genocide against them, and they only deserve the best, just as our ally in Israel. In my bill, the Kurdish state will have ALL ethnic Kurds within its border, ranging from Turkey all the way to Iran. Now the goal is simple; a Kurdish state for the Kurds. If this were to come to fruition, the Middle East would be one step towards peace and prosperity as this would encourage the realignment of state to how they’re supposed to be, for their own people. This whole mess is because of one thing only, the arbitrary borders that were drawn by the United Kingdom and France after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. If we can change the borders to fit that of the ethnic people living there instead of dividing them by a straight line, the Middle East would be a safe and prosperous place. When it comes to Turkey, however, they will just need to accept an independent Kurdistan, whether or not Turkish Kurdistan is added or not. Turkey has to accept the reality that it can no longer commit state acts of terrorism against its own people. Whether or not they fall under the sphere of Russian influence or not is for a later time. What we need to focus on now is an independent Kurdistan.
As always, great to speak with you about the Republicans’ ideas for national security and diplomacy. One last question as our time is up: will the Republican congressional leadership be visiting our allies abroad as a congressional delegation to, say, the Netherlands and Canada to lobby for these internationally-critical bills and build legislative consensus? Will President Nonprehension’s State Department and affiliates agencies be invited to attend, if so?
The House leadership is remaining focused on this important bill at this time.
Thank you for visiting our Washington Bureau, Mr. Speaker.
As House Considers Bill Recognizing Kurdistan and Somaliland, Is This The Year Of The Self-Declared State? from ModelTimes
