Meghan O’Sullivan offers an intriguing argument on how Kurdish national movements might facilitate liberalization and regional integration in the Middle East:

Rather than feeding new clamoring for a Kurdish state, an increase in influence may lead the region’s Kurds to adopt a “globalization” strategy. This approach would acknowledge the waning importance of state borders around the globe and focus on building strong cultural and economic links — and maybe ultimately institutions — that span political boundaries. Working toward a “virtual” Kurdistan, the Kurds of a transformed Middle East might realize many of their aspirations without incurring the ire of the region’s larger powers.
The U.S. and its allies should favor this outcome, not simply because it would be good for the Kurds, but because it would be good for their own interests. Kurds, perhaps because of their dark history at the hands of extremists, tend to be moderates. While many are devout Muslims, they are more likely to favor secular government.
They are among the most pro-American populations in the Middle East, having either watched or benefited from the American-led no-fly zone over northern Iraq for more than a decade. And, if the Kurds of Iraq are any indication, they are also entrepreneurial and welcoming of U.S. and Western investment.
A region where the Kurds play a role in the national politics of Iraq, Syria and Turkey and possibly carry significant economic weight as a collective group will almost certainly be more moderate and conducive to American interests than the Middle East that many see on the horizon. And if the gains of Kurds in Iraq, Turkey and Syria were to encourage Iran’s Kurds to agitate against the regime in Tehran, all the better.

That is, the Kurds might prove constructively subversive as they knit renewed cross-border ties.