MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : CONGRATULATIONS TO BARHAM SALIH / THE NEW IRAQI PRESIDENT ( KURDISTAN – 3 Oct 2018) – BY MESOP EDITOR

The election of Barham Salih as president of Iraq should be welcomed by all those who believe that Iraq is too important to be allowed to become a Iranian Satrapy. Salih has been struggling all his life for Kurdish rights and empowerment. This proud Kurd used to tell me that in the heart of hearts of every Kurd there is a yearning for independence. But Salih the realist recognized also the constraints of geo-politics on Kurdish dreams of self-determination. After returning to Iraq following the U.S. invasion and through the various political positions he occupied, he worked very hard for genuine political reconciliation, believing that the best way to realize Kurdish rights is by creating a democratic civil state in Iraq. One of his proudest achievements was the establishment of @AUIS the American University of Iraq in Suleimani, a unique educational institution in Iraq. Every year scholars from Iraq the U.S. and the rest of the world gather there to discuss, without any constraints the political, economic and cultural issues and challenges facing Iraq and the region.

Salih, has the temperament, political experience, foresight, regional and international stature and connections, to help put Iraqi on the path of true reconciliation,and reconstruction. Salih, who spent many years in Washington as the representative of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan has a deep understanding and appreciation of American polity and culture. He is a genuine friend of America in a region where the U.S. does not have too many serious friends and dependable allies.

I could imagine Barham Salih’s numerous friends and admirers in America shouting with the precision of a great choir: congratulations, www.mesop.de