"A natural right of any group of people"

I've just come across a very interesting statement from the US Defense Secretary, James Mattis, who was in Erbil yesterday for talks with Masoud Barzani.

Discussing the planned independence referendum for 25th September, Barzani reiterated that the plan is “a solution and not an obstacle”.

“He then briefed Secretary Mattis on the old and modern issues that the people of Kurdistan have had with Baghdad and that no real partnership has ever been accepted by the latter. The President then reassured Secretary Mattis and the accompanying delegation that the referendum would not create any problems for the operations against the terrorists of the Islamic State and that the courage of the Peshmerga forces shall remain unwavering against this brutal common enemy which poses a threat to all of humankind and not only to Iraq and Kurdistan,” reads the press release.

Secretary Mattis stated that he understands the grievances of the people of the Kurdistan Region and also added that such step is a natural right of any group of people.

However, he said the announcement of independence vote last June was unexpected for the government of United States, especially due to the military operations against the terrorists of the Islamic State."

Basnews - 22 August 2017

With the proviso that this is taken from a press release by President Barzani's office, this is a remarkable statement with far-reaching consequences.

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Those of us who believe that President Trump is an embarrassment to the world probably have good reason to wonder how seriously we should take any statement from the current American administration; but not every aspect of their foreign policy is bad.

One of the positive changes after Trump came to power, an improvement on Obama's position, was a marked increase in military support—both in terms of equipment and troops—for Kurds in both Iraq and Syria, despite these two groups having very different political ideologies. In simple terms, I think the American administration believed that the Kurds offered the best hope of defeating ISIS, and that this mattered more to them than anything else. They probably didn't think much about the political solutions that would need to be developed after ISIS are defeated. Perhaps it wouldn't be too cynical to point out that the Americans have always been more eager to take military action than work out what to do afterwards.

That explains why Mattis said that the US was taken by surprise by Barzani's announcement in June this year. But the Trump administration have now had a good couple of months to think about it, and I think they have to be commended for standing behind the principle of democracy and self-determination. That's exactly what the world has a right to expect from America.

The big question is whether the US will be consistent. To say that holding a democratic referendum on whether you want to remain part of an existing state is "a natural right of any group of people" means that the US Administration must also respect the result of the Catalan referendum a week later. We should remember that both the Kurdish and Catalan referendums are unilateral referendums which are being held without the consent of the governments of their respective currently-recognized states, Iraq and Spain.

Also, if the US are consistent towards both the Kurds and the Catalans, then it is quite likely that the UK Government will feel obliged to follow suite, as it usually does. The critical thing in the formation of a new state is not the declaration of independence, but whether other countries then recognize you as an independent state. Having the US on your side is a tremendous advantage because of the considerable influence they have over so many other countries.

A strong showing in Iowa ... 28.5%

Iowa is in the spotlight today, so it's time for pictures of barns.

     

But to save you waiting up, one important result is already in. Iowa generates a higher proportion of its electricity from wind than any other state in America ... 28.5%.

     

And, according to this report, this is set to rise to 40% by 2020. The industry also "employs around 7,000 people, has 12 turbine manufacturers, [and] has attracted $10 billion in capital investment" in Iowa alone.

It would be very easy for Wales, which also has a population of 3.1m, to do the same. Probably easier, because average household energy consumption in the US is about 11,700 kWh/yr compared with something like 4,600 kWh/yr here.

We are a long way behind them; in 2013, only 6.45% of our electricity was generated from wind.

HTV fails

It was sad to read that the second American attempt to build a plane capable of reaching anywhere in the world within an hour has failed.

     

     Falcon HTV-2 is lost in bid to become fastest ever plane

It makes you wonder what the purpose of such an aircraft might be. Back in the sixties, there was a very obvious need for such a vehicle as International Rescue raced to save lives in any part of the world.

     

I'm sure the Americans must have something similar in mind. I mean, what other useful purpose could such an aircraft possibly serve?

And it does say something that a small, independent island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean should have succeeded in something that a large nation like the United States just can't seem to manage.

Think what effect a flotilla of them could have.

Here's to one we prepared earlier

Today is Independence Day in the United States of America ... and it's something that we in Wales should be celebrating every bit as much as our relatives across the pond.

     

Of those who signed the Declaration of Independence back in 1776, sixteen were of Welsh descent, namely:

George Clymer, Stephen Hopkins, Robert Morris, William Floyd, Francis Hopkinson, Francis Lewis, John Morton, Britton Gwinnett, Thomas Jefferson, John Penn, George Read, John Hewes, James Smith, Williams Hooper, Lewis Morris and William Williams.

Foremost among them was Thomas Jefferson, who was the principal author of the document itself and eventually became third President. He said of himself:

The tradition in my father's family was, that their ancestor came to this country from Wales, and from near the mountain of Snowdon, the highest in Great Britain.

We can only assume that he thought the higher mountains in Scotland were part of not-so-great Britain. The other famous surname is that of John Penn, who was related to William Penn, the man who founded the colony he first called New Wales, but which later became Pennsylvania.

But perhaps more influential than anyone who signed the document was Richard Price, a non-conformist minister from Glamorgan. This is what David Williams said about his contribution:

One Welshman, however, although he never set foot on the American continent, did contribute vitally to America's political development. This was the philosopher, Dr Richard Price. Price's contribution was twofold. In the first place, he may be said to have changed the nature of the Revolution itself. For, to begin with, the Revolution was a conservative one; its purpose was to preserve a system of government against reactionary innovation on the part of George III and his ministers, and it was to the common law rights of Englishmen, and to English constitutional precedents, that the colonists appealed for a redress to their grievances. But early in 1776 there appeared Richard Price's Nature of Civil Liberty, of which 60,000 copies were immediately sold, and of which no fewer than fifteen editions were called for within one year. In this Price advised the colonists to act according to 'the principles of liberty', and not according to 'the practice of former times'; to appeal, not to the legal rights of Englishmen, but to the natural rights of men, and thereby the whole temper of the Revolution was changed.

Moreover, Price, in his various writings, drew a glowing picture of the future of America, and this faith in the future destiny of their country has had a great influence in welding together the diverse elements which form the American population into one nationality. In older countries the sentiment of nationality derives mainly from a common background; the essence of national consciousness is a common tradition. But this is lacking in a population made up largely of immigrants, and the part played in other countries by a common tradition has been played in America by a common faith in the future. This America owes as much as anyone to Dr Richard Price. It is no wonder that the new government invited him to emigrate, and that Yale bestowed an honorary doctorate on him, the only other recipient of the honour at the same time being George Washington himself.

David Williams, National Library of Wales Journal, Summer 1942, Vol II/3 & 4

If you want to read the pamphlet, it's available online as a facsimile or as a more readable text version here.

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It's interesting to wonder to what extent there is anything distinctively Welsh about the ideas that led to American Independence ... for there were a good many Americans of English descent who wanted independence too, though in nowhere near the same proportion relative to the size of England compared with Wales.

While talking with a friend a couple of weeks ago, I was told that in the crisis that followed the American Declaration of Independence, Parliament in Westminster held a debate in which Welsh MPs were excluded on the grounds that American Independence was perceived as a specifically Welsh conspiracy to undermine the crown. He thought that it had been mentioned in a book by Bill Bryson. I've tried looking for some references, but haven't been able to find any. So can anyone shed some light on this? If it's true, as my friend said, the story would make some movie.

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But despite what Parliament may or may not have thought about the Welsh, the important thing is that America did manage to retain its independence, despite the United Kingdom's attempt to quash it by force. Sadly, force became an all too familiar pattern for the rest of the Empire until the UK finally learned the lesson that it was better to let countries leave without killing those who dared to ask for independence.

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More newly independent countries have produced—or been given—more modern constitutions, but America still stands out as a country that was founded on the highest of principles. And even if it hasn't quite lived up to those founding principles as it developed to become a superpower, the values of its founders are deeply embedded in its people, and the world is a better place because of it.

So Happy Birthday, America. When we come to draft our own Declaration of Independence for Wales, we can draw plenty of inspiration from the one we prepared earlier.

 

Hillary Clinton changes her mind

It wasn't so very long ago that Sara Medi asked Hillary Clinton, as the American Secretary of State, for her views on increasing autonomy and eventual independence for countries like Wales, Scotland and Catalunya.

     

Clinton said she wasn't going to interfere in the internal affairs of any European country. However her attempts to influence the Scottish Government's decision to release Abdel Baset Ali al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds show that she was hardly being straightforward.

     Lockerbie bomber release 'absolutely wrong', says Hillary Clinton
     Hillary Clinton puts pressure on Scottish over Lockerbie bomber

Well, since when have the Americans ever restrained themselves from interfering in the internal affairs of other countries? And indeed we should expect governments to speak out about what happens elsewhere in the world and, if necessary, take steps to address issues of concern. The question is how to do it wisely, and what those steps should be.

Of course what she said in March was only an evasive answer to a question that she'd obviously never given any real thought to. But her recent efforts in "piling more pressure" on the Scottish Government must surely have meant that she has given the matter a good deal more thought in the last few weeks.

So it's high time to ask the question again.