Iraq & the Kurds

The kurds are expanding their territory in Iraq. It seems to me that this kurd situation is a microcosm of the bigger picture, and we will see more and more of this. Plus, my opinion is as good as any other, since we have had no clear objective in Iraq, nor any assurances of progress. Even after all these years and lives and money, the generals are still saying that the 'gains' we have made could easily be reversed. The kurds are an armed coalition who will fill any power vacuum around them (there are many groups like this in the world). Its not our fault and we should leave Iraq immediately. Even our founding fathers wrote about how an armed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny. The factions in Iraq do not want to work together in a peaceful way. Let's just admit it. The majority of the regions' cultures believe in oppression of women and slave/master relationships between men. It is a brutal tragedy, but it is not america's fault. Also the kurdistan situation has become worse even though American forces are in Iraq. As occupiers, we are basically having zero positive effect on the kurd/iraq situation. Mostly because an occupying force of 150,000 can't keep an eye on 26 million people.