The Kurds in Iraq

Kerim Yildiz

Description

This new edition of The Kurds in Iraq brings the book fully up-to-date in the light of recent events in Iraq, and the ever-present danger of civil war.



Yildiz explores the impact of occupation and escalating violence. There is an entirely new chapter on Kirkuk, which continues to be of major strategic interest to the various powers in the region. There is also a new chapter on insurgency and sectarianism that examines the motivations behind the insurgency, the tactics that are used, and outlines possible ways to deal with it.



The book is a unique account of the problems that all political groups face in bringing stability to the country, as well as exploring Kurdish links and international relations in the broader sense. It should be required reading for policy-makers and anyone interested in the current position of the Kurds in Iraq.
Foreword

Map of the area inhabited by Kurds

Introduction

PART I: THE PAST

1. The Kurds

2. The Treaty of Sèvres and the Creation of Iraq

3. The Kurds Under Barzani

4. The Anfal Campaigns

5. The First Gulf War: From Uprising to Democracy

6. Democracy in Iraqi Kurdistan

7. Human Rights in Iraqi Kurdistan

8. The Displacement of Kurds in Iraq

9. Economic/Humanitarian Affairs in Iraqi Kurdistan

10. The Kurds Have no Friends but the Mountains

11. US Foreign Policy towards Saddam: Pre-September

PART II: THE PRESENT

12. The Road to War

13. The Second Gulf War: 'Operation Iraqi Freedom'

14. Current Executive Structure in Iraq

15. Insurgency and Sectarianism

16. Current Legal and Human Rights Issues

17. The Question of Autonomy

18. The Anfal Campaigns: The War Crimes Tribunal

19. The Continuing Problem of Internal Displacement

20. Current Economic/Humanitarian Issues in Iraqi Kurdistan

PART III: THE FUTURE

21. Self-Determination and Autonomy

22. Kirkuk

23. The Tribunal and the Victims

24. The Land Question

Appendix I:

Appendix II:

Appendix III:

Notes

Index

Sujets

• International Relations
• Middle Est
• HISTORY
• POLITICAL SCIENCE
• Histoire
• Invasión (desambiguación)
• Organización de las Naciones Unidas
• 21st century
• Iraq
• History of the Middle East
• General officer
• United Nations
• Middle East
• Invasion
• General
• Irak
• Organisation des Nations unies

Informations

• Publié par: Pluto Press
• Date de parution: 20 février 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781849643634
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Kurds in Iraq

Past, Present and Future

Revised edition

Kerim Yildiz

P Pluto Press LONDON • ANN ARBOR, MI in association with KURDISH HUMAN RIGHTS PROJECT

First published 2007 by Pluto Press 345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA and 839 Greene Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48106

www.plutobooks.com

Copyright © Kerim Yildiz 2007

The right of Kerim Yildiz to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Hardback ISBN13 ISBN10

978 0 7453 2663 4 0 7453 2663 3

Paperback ISBN13 978 0 7453 2662 7 ISBN10 0 7453 2662 5

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data applied for

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Designed and produced for Pluto Press by Chase Publishing Services Ltd, Fortescue, Sidmouth, EX10 9QG, England Typeset from disk by Stanford DTP Services, Northampton, England Printed and bound in the European Union by Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham and Eastbourne, England

To my Wife Bridget and my Son Dara

Contents

Acknowledgements Foreword Map of the area inhabited by Kurds

Introduction

Part I: The Past

1

2

3

4

The Kurds ‘Kurds’ and ‘Kurdistan’ Language Religion Population Topography of Kurdistan

The Treaty of Sèvres and the Creation of Iraq

The Kurds Under Barzani Revolts The emergence of a Kurdish leader Aftermath of the 1958 Revolution The Ba‘ath regimes The March Manifesto of 1970 The 1974 Autonomy Law US and Iranian involvement in Kurdish–Iraqi relations:  1970–75 The Algiers Agreement of 1975 and its aftermath

The Anfal Campaigns Spoils of war The logic of destruction The spring offensives of 1988 The attack on Halabja The attack on Sayw Senan The remaining Anfal campaigns Amnesty International responses to the Anfal campaigns

xii xiii xv

1

7 7 8 8 9 9

10

15 15 15 16 17 17 20

22 23

25 25 25 26 27 28 28 30 31

viii The Kurds in Iraq

5

6

7

8

9

The First Gulf War: From Uprising to Democracy Background The intifada (uprising) The Ba‘athists respond Exodus from Iraqi Kurdistan Turkey, Iran and the Iraqi Kurds Resolution 688 ‘Operation Provide Comfort’ ‘Operation Safe Haven’ Negotiating autonomy with Saddam Hussein

Democracy in Iraqi Kurdistan A rainbow alliance International ambivalence Autonomy from a Kurdish perspective Electoral procedure A new kind of political space? Relations between the PUK and KDP

Human Rights in Iraqi Kurdistan Background Crimes of the Ba‘ath regime Breaches of international law by the government of Iraq Humanitarian law Human rights structures and the Kurdish authorities Women’s rights in Iraqi Kurdistan

The Displacement of Kurds in Iraq A displaced history Displacement since the establishment of the safe haven Effect of the TurkishPKK conflict

Economic/Humanitarian Affairs in Iraqi Kurdistan Background Oil in Iraq: A brief overview Oil in Iraqi Kurdistan: A brief overview Pipelines Sanctions Criticism of the OilforFood Programme Embargo Currency

34 34 34 36 36 37 37 39 39 42

44 44 44 45 45 46 48

51 51 52 54 55 57 57

64 64 66 67

68 68 69 70 70 71 73 75 76

Employment Nongovernmental organisations

10 The Kurds Have no Friends but the Mountains  Turkey: A difficult neighbour  Beyond Iraq: The Kurds of Turkey, Iran and Syria

Contents ix

11 US Foreign Policy Towards Saddam: PreSeptember 11

Part II: The Present

12 The Road to War  ‘Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists’  The Kurds’ path to war

13 The Second Gulf War: ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom’  ‘They were received with bombs, shoes and bullets’  The Kurdish Jerusalem  War over?  The current security situation  Security strategy

14 Current Executive Structure in Iraq  Saddam’s Iraqi opposition  The new Iraqi government

15 Insurgency and Sectarianism  Developing tactics of the insurgency  The composition of the insurgency  Insurgency and sectarianism  The insurgency and Iraqi Kurdistan  Alleged involvement of Syria and Iran  Causes of the insurgency  Counterinsurgency

16 Current Legal and Human Rights Issues  The Coalition Provisional Authority  Humanitarian international law obligations  International human rights law obligations

76 76

79 79 82

90

95 95 105

111 111 112 115 115 117

118 118 119

149 150 151 153 155 155 156 157

161 161 161 163

x The Kurds in Iraq

17 The Question of Autonomy

18 The Anfal Campaigns: The War Crimes Tribunal  An enduring legacy  The Iraqi Special Tribunal  The defendants  The death penalty  International judges  The crimes

19 The Continuing Problem of Internal Displacement  The current situation

20 Current Economic/Humanitarian Issues in Iraqi  Kurdistan  Sanctions and embargoes  The OilforFood Programme  Currency  Nongovernmental organisations and international  organisations  Oil

Part III: The Future

21 SelfDetermination and Autonomy  What is selfdetermination?  The Kurdish claim to selfdetermination  Autonomy  A UN mandate?  Economic issues

22Kirkuk  History of Kirkuk  The settlement of Turcomans in the Kirkuk region  The Arabisation of Kirkuk  PostGulf War developments  Kurdish aspirations for Kirkuk  Recent developments in the region

23 The Tribunal and the Victims  Introduction

168

169 169 170 171 172 172 173

176 180

182 182 182 183

184 185

191 191 194 197 199 201

203 203 204 205 207 207 210

213 213

A UN tribunal A hybrid court The International Criminal Court A Truth and Reconciliation Commission The way forward

24 The Land Question  The Iraqi Property Reconciliation Facility  The way forward

Addendum

Contents xi

Appendix I: Articles of the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres relating to Kurdistan Appendix II: The Kurdistan Regional Government Provisional Constitution for the Federal Republic of Iraq Appendix III: UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement

Notes Index

213 214 215 215 216

218 218 219

222

223

225

240

251 281

Acknowledgements

This book was written by Kerim Yildiz, who would like to thank Merin Abbass and Sayran Sulevani for their invaluable research assistance.

xii

Foreword

With the demise of the rule of the Ba‘ath party in Iraq, the country’s Kurdish population faces a new chapter in the political and regional development of its region. For over a century the Kurds have been subject to the grand schemes of other powers, denied autonomy, and have faced the onslaughts of military assaults, economic embargoes, and the destruction of their native regions. This publication is intended to provide an outline of some of the issues affecting the Kurds in Iraq. It provides a brief exploration of the past’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 internationally recognised autonomous region committed to pluralistic democracy and human rights. Such a region would require a commitment to the rule of law and internationally recognised human rights standards. In the intervening years between the First Gulf War and the 2003 USled war against Saddam, the Kurds established a democratic administration, which has persevered despite a lack of assistance from the international community to facilitate its establishment or indeed any international recognition. Iraqi Kurdistan serves as a role model not only for Iraq but also for the rest of the Middle East, particularly with regard to adherence to human rights principles, including women’s rights and freedom of expression. The study proposes that the Kurds should continue to have full and equal participation in the reconstruction of Iraq. The study also details a range of human rights policies to the Occupying Powers, the international community and the Kurds themselves. The publication highlights the international initiatives possible to ensure the economic and social development of Iraqi Kurdistan, including equitable distribution of the revenues of oil and the OilforFood Programme. This publication provides a scholarly analysis of the urgent and as of yet unanswered question: what is to be the future of the Iraqi Kurdistan bearing in mind what was achieved after the First Gulf War in 1992? In BHRC’s view, unless the rule of law is quickly established throughout postwar Iraq, the future of the whole region remains bleak.

xiii