I’ve been going back-and-forth off-line with a number of Iraqi Kurdish activists sharply critical of my recent comparison of the governing styles of Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasir Arafat and Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masud Barzani. While they are an order of magnitude different in their records, there are a number of worrisome trends:

(1) Like Arafat, Barzani allows territory he controls to be used by terrorist groups. (2) Like Arafat, Barzani uses incitement as a tool, for example, enabling state media and curricula to promote expansionist claims beyond international boundaries. (3) Like Arafat, Barzani squanders the welfare of his people with corruption and self-enrichment. (4) Like Arafat, Barzani plays a double game with Washington, for example, Barzani’s support for the Al-Zawraa television, which promotes Iraqi Baathists and features lurid videos of the murder of Americans.

For anyone that believes that the U.S.-Kurdish alliance will forever remain strong, it’s useful to go back to the future. Here is a photo archived on the website of the KDP’s office in Ankara.