Borders and Why They May Need to Change

          My last blog detailed my opinion on the Crisis in Iraq and Syria. In short, the situation has deteriorated to the point where the borders are meaningless. That brings me to a very large, yet utterly overlooked, issue of our time: borders.

          Those of us who live in the United States view borders as set in stone. Our borders have not changed much in the last century and there is no risk of invasion or attack from another country. America has also asserted its strictly defined borders in matters of trade with Mexico and Canada and so despite NAFTA, these are enforced regularly to define where those countries end and the U.S.A begins.

          For Americans, borders are as much of a given as Turkey on Thanksgiving. However, this is not true for much of the world and especially not for the Middle East. The borders of the Middle East were drawn up by imperialist powers who sought to establish the greatest possible control over resources and waterways. They were made without regard to people their differences.

          Thus the situation that lies before the US today is the inevitable result of enforcing and trying to maintain these phony borders. Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are all prime examples of countries whose borders are completely arbitrary. Constant flows of refugees are fleeing these countries and trying to escape to areas where there is some semblance of safety. Amongst the flow of people there is also a flow of fighters, militias, and terrorists. A militia that asserts control over a town will be more likely to cross a border to enter a neighboring village than it is likely to drive for an hour to reach the closest town within the country.

          When civil war erupts and government order is weak, borders become unenforceable and allow the easy transport of armed fighters. But trying to maintain these borders does not help! Rather, it only furthers the continuation of conflict. To force the Kurds (who have been seeking independence for decades) to accept the power of an Iraqi or Syrian government would be a terrible decision. Not only would it serve to dismantle a more stable and peaceful group, but it would guarantee fighting in the region.

          For the United States government to maintain Middle Eastern borders (as a priority) is utterly ridiculous. The reality is that the borders are meaningless. They are lines that are drawn in sand and sand moves with the wind. The fighters of ISIS do not see the lands in Iraq and Syria as different and neither do the Kurds, the Sunni militias, or the many other groups participating in the fight.

           A new map must be drawn up, one that is not to be set in stone but rather drawn with a pencil. As we know, nothing can exist forever, and certainly not lines, which divide people or push them together.