Geostrategic Media Political Commentary, Analysis, Security, Defense
Hadi Elis
The Puppeteer of the Middle East: Britain’s Legacy of Sabotage Against the Kurds
Standfirst: From WWI chemical weapons to the recent betrayal of Rojava, Britain has consistently worked to deny Kurdish self-determination, using Turkey as its willing proxy.
Since World War I, Britain has systematically manipulated the Middle East to serve its imperial interests. When the Kurds refused to be pawns in this geopolitical chess match, Britain branded them as obstacles and became their most enduring enemy.
The tragedy of the Kurdish people is not an accident of history; it is a deliberately engineered catastrophe. Following British oil exploration in Kurdistan, Britain carved out the state of Iraq from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire, forcing Kurds into a union they vehemently opposed. To crush the national resistance led by Sheikh Mahmoud Berzenji, Britain resorted to deploying chemical weapons and exiled the Sheikh to India, stripping Kurds of their national and constitutional rights. This colonial brutality set the stage for decades of suffering, ultimately culminating in the nightmare of the Ba’ath regime.
Even in the 21st century, the Anglo-Turkish alliance has continued to undermine Kurdish progress. Following the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Washington initially signaled support for Kurdish federalism. However, when US officials realized General Jay Garner was pro-Kurdish, he was swiftly removed. Paul Bremer was installed as the de facto administrator and promptly disbanded the Iraqi military—a catastrophic strategic mistake. More importantly, Bremer refused to grant Iraq federalism, prioritizing a centralized monarchy over regional autonomy to ensure Baghdad remained a subordinate power.
Britain’s preference for a centralized, Arab-dominated state has had devastating ripple effects across the region, not least in Iran, where Kurds continue to suffer from the consequences of British-drawn borders and strategic miscalculations.
Nowhere is the British betrayal more evident than in Syria. Using Turkey as its heavily armed frontman, Britain has acted to block Kurds from securing federalism in post-Ba’ath Syria. The so-called “Anti-ISIS coalition” was never about liberating Syria; it was a smokescreen to hide the nurturing of HTS (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham), a terrorist organization formerly linked to Al-Qaeda.
But why did Britain accept Kurds as allies in the anti-ISIS coalition? The answer lies in Islamic political strategy: Takkiyya, the principle of deception. Britain used the Kurds as boots on the ground while actively planning their political erasure.
When Turkey opposed Finland, Norway, and Sweden’s NATO membership applications, it was a stark warning to the entire Western alliance. No one dared to recognize Kurdish Regional Governments, knowing Britain and Turkey would turn against them. Instead, they subjected the Kurds to a modern-day form of imperial extortion.
This betrayal has reached its peak in the current post-Assad era. HTS, appointed to Damascus, was immediately legitimized despite its terrorist roots, and the Kurds were deliberately excluded from the transitional government. While Rojava (the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria) fought for democracy and women’s rights, Nechirvan Barzani of the Iraqi-KRG was pressured into officially visiting the HTS leadership, effectively bypassing and undermining the Rojava administration.
The man installed to lead Syria—who acts with the heavy-handed policies of a “Bashar Al Shaara”—is a direct product of this Anglo-Turkish strategy. The Kurds are now forced to return to life under a regime that openly views them as enemies. Meanwhile, Turkey’s illegal occupation of Syrian Kurdish territories and its use of state-sponsored Islamist terrorists continue without any real international protest over sovereignty violations.
Don’t forget this: while Turkey is often seen as the villain, there are times when Britain surpasses it as the greatest enemy of the Kurds. It is Britain, the most experienced imperial power, that pulls the strings. The Kurds have been used, betrayed, and abandoned to protect the imperial interests of London and its proxy in Ankara.
If the international community truly believes in democratic federalism and minority rights, it must recognize that the Kurdish problem was manufactured in London—and it is there that the solution must ultimately be fought for.
