By Dr. Bayad Jamal Ali
The
preparations for the Mosul attack has been going on for a significant time,
many countries and factions have been involved in these preparations from the
US – led coalition, Iraq, Iran, Kurdistan, and of course, Turkey among many
others.
The
recent statement by Turkey`s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that only Sunni Muslims can
live in Mosul spurred a public condemnation in Iraq, yet still some Sunni
factions welcomed it, and some Kurdish factions between the interest oriented
and the Islamic oriented political parties partially accepted the statement.
The existence of the Turkish
army in the Iraqi territory under the excuse of fighting the Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK) has created tension and harsh statement exchange between Baghdad
and Ankara, yet the weak Iraqi government is helpless against all its problems,
in turn, increasing Erdogan`s ambition in reclaiming Mosul Vilayet.
The Turkish
media has been promoting the idea of a greater Turkey with a new redrawn map
that includes Thrace, Macedonia, Crete, Cyprus, Armenia, Aleppo and Northern
Syria, Mosul, and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq including the disputed
territories like Kirkuk.
Economic
wise, Turkey has been successful in flooding these areas dependent on Turkish
products, as well as an invasion of Turkish businesses and companies in all the
economic and business sectors of these companies. No doubt that Iraq after 2003
till today has been importing almost everything from Turkey, yet most important
is that Turkey has almost full control over Kurdistan`s Region oil export. As
the Kurdish region export its oil through Ceyhan port and the oil revenues are
delivered to Turkish banks, as both sides have signed a fifty year oil deal.
Moreover,
Turkey managed to attract the Syrian businessmen and factories to Turkey by
offering them tax exemptions and subsidies so they can move their factories
from Aleppo and other war torn Syrian cities to Turkey.
This
Turkish economic expansion on the region along with the Sunni Islam rhetoric
has strengthened their position in the Middle East as one of the major players
allied with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf state against the Shia
Islam rhetoric alliance of Iran – Iraq-
Syria`s Assad – Lebanon`s Hizbollah.
The Mosul Attack is important as it will take the
Middle East to the next phase of who can get the bigger slice of the pie, and
if would the economic ambitions will lead to territorial expansion and even a
regional war?
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