The Future of Kurdistan

Kerim Yildiz

Description

During the United States military occupation of Iraq, the Kurdistan region was one of the few places in the country where insurgent violence was not a daily occurrence. However, as tension with the Iraqi central government increases over issues of security, oil and gas management and the disputed territory of Kirkuk, and with Turkey and Iran continuing their cross border military operations, Kurdistan Iraq faces numerous challenges.



The current context allows for a fresh look at the situation of the Kurds in Iraq. No longer subject to the cruel regime of Saddam Hussein, the Kurds are set to be important figures in the shaping of Iraq's future.



The Future of Kurdistan: The Iraqi Dilemma focuses on how issues faced by Kurdistan Iraq today are being dealt with by both central government and international forces as well as on the prospects for Kurdistan and Iraq’s political, economic and cultural future.
Acknowledgements

Introduction

Part I

1. The Kurds in Iraq: A History

2. Saddam Hussein and the Kurds

3. Iraq after Saddam

Part II

4. Kurdistan and the Iraqi Central Government

5. Regional Relations

6. International Relations

Part III

7. Future Issues

Notes

Index

Sujets

• International Relations
• Political Science
• Iraq
• Peace
• Irak
• Paix

Informations

• Publié par: Pluto Press
• Date de parution: 05 décembre 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781849647052
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

THE FUtURE Of KURDIStàN

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The FuTure oF KurdisTan

THE iRàQI dIlEmmà

Kerim Yildiz

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CONtENtS

Acknowledgements

InRoducion

ParT I 1 he KuRds in IRàq: a HisoRy 2 Sàddàm Hussein ànd e KuRds 3 IRàq àteR Sàddàm

ParT II 4 KuRdisàn ànd e IRàqi CenRàl GoveRnmen 5 regionàl relàions 6 IneRnàionàl relàions

ParT III 7 FuuRe Issues

appendix

Notes Index

viii

1

5 15 39

63 92 110

123

132

135 153

ackNOwlEDgEmENtS

The author would like to express his gratitude for the assistance in the research of this book to Janna Mancini, Kelly Kileff, Oliver Wahab, Quinn Coffey, Arjun Malhotra, Sakine Cok, and Heather Widdup. This major project would not have been possible without their diligent and skilled research assistance. The author would also like to extend his gratitude to Roger van Zwanenberg and Pluto Press, who have provided consistent encouragement, patience and support.

vIII

iNtRODUctION

The Kurds of Iraq have exercised de facto autonomy since 1991, when the safe haven in Northern Iraq was established, and have made significant advancements since 2003. Following the fall of the Baath regime, the Kurdistan region has been progressing, albeit unevenly, in economic development, security and infrastructure. The Kurds of Iraq have, in securing this autonomy, offered hope to Kurds in neighbouring countries that a peaceful path towards self governance might be possible. This increased autonomy, however, has also come at a price, as the neighbouring countries of Iran, Turkey and Syria fear that this may motivate Kurds living in these countries to seek similar independence. Despite these recent hopeful advancements, the Kurds of Iraq have faced enduring hardship over the past century, including military attacks, economic embargoes, human rights violations and the destruction of their native regions. Some of these events have been so egregious as to impact the consciousness of the outside world, while others are less well known or understood. This volume is intended to provide an examination of some of the issues affecting the Kurds in Iraq. It provides a brief exploration of history’s effect on the present, and of how both the Kurds and the international community may avoid repeating previous mistakes, laying the foundations for an autonomous region committed to pluralistic democracy and human rights. Standing at the crossroads of so many powerful nations, the Kurds have always, inadvertently or otherwise, been subject to or caught up in the vicissitudes of their allegiances and altercations. Kurds in Kurdistan have been subjected to sustained violence and oppression by several Iraqi regimes. This is not unique to Iraq. In Turkey, as in Iran and Syria, Kurds have been the victims of village destructions and evacuations, killings, torture, rape in custody, arbitrary detentions, censorship and other human rights violations. Regional governments, normally opposed to the other’s policies, have sought to collaborate in their efforts to suppress the Kurds. The motivation of state policies, which have victimised Kurds for decades, lies in the fear that the Kurds will break away from the states in which they live to create their own nation. Some regard the

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