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The Kurds are a proud, ancient people who have lived for centuries across the mountains and plains of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria, yet they remain one of the largest stateless nations on Earth. Millions of hardworking Kurds have built communities, languages, and a fierce culture despite being carved up by borders and broken promises from larger powers. Americans who prize liberty should recognize the Kurds not as a curiosity but as natural partners in the fight against tyranny and Islamist terror.
In northern Iraq the Kurdistan Regional Government has created a functioning autonomous region centered in Erbil that provides a rare example of relative stability and self-governance in a chaotic neighborhood. Kurdish institutions there manage their own security, taxes, and schools, showing that Kurds can govern responsibly when given a chance. Conservatives who believe in self-determination ought to admire the KRG as a model of civic order emerging from a dangerous part of the world.
When the Islamic State swept across Iraq and Syria, Kurdish fighters — the peshmerga and their allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces — stood toe to toe with extremists and bore the brunt of the fight to reclaim territory. These were not abstract partners; they fought alongside U.S. forces, saved civilians, and helped roll back a genocidal movement that threatened the civilized world. Any honest recounting of the campaign against ISIS must acknowledge the Kurds’ bravery and the practical value they brought to American objectives.
And yet, in classic Washington fashion, our leaders have too often treated these allies as disposable once the headlines moved on. The chaotic U.S. withdrawal from parts of Syria in 2019 exposed Kurdish forces to Turkish offensives and left a stain on America’s credibility with partners who sacrificed blood and lives alongside us. Conservatives should be furious at the bipartisan blunders that let our allies down and demand a foreign policy that honors commitments rather than appeases geopolitical convenience.
Complicating the moral calculus is the reality that Turkey views many Kurdish militias as indistinguishable from the PKK, a group that Ankara rightly labels a terrorist organization, and Ankara has repeatedly launched cross-border operations to eliminate perceived threats. This messy web of alliances and enmities is exactly why America needs a clearer strategy: support the Kurds who share our interests while diplomatically managing legitimate NATO partner concerns. We can and must thread that needle without abandoning principled allies.
Hardworking Americans know loyalty when they see it, and the Kurds have shown more loyalty to our shared interests than many so-called friends in the region. It is time for a conservative foreign policy that rewards courage, protects reliable partners, and uses American power to preserve stability and freedom where it matters. If we want to restore respect for the United States, we start by standing with those who stood with us, not by repeating the cowardly mistakes of the past.
